Focus on Reading To Kill a Mockingbird.pdf - ymerleksi - home

STUDENT NAME ___________________________________________________ DATE__________________
VI. Chapters 27–31
Before Reading
<strong>Focus</strong> Your Reading
Vocabulary Words to Know
Study the following words and definitions. You will meet these words in your reading. Be sure to jot
down in your word journal any other unknown words from the reading.
purloined—stole, often in a violation of
trust
ascertain—to discover with certainty
reeling—thrown off balance and falling
instinctive—arising from a natural impulse;
spontaneous and unthinking
turmoil—extreme upset
garishly—glaringly; dazzlingly
audible—able to be heard
disengaged—pulled back; released from
something binding
amiable—friendly
acquiescence—passive agreement
Things to Know
Here is some background information about this section of the book.
When millions of Americans were out of work during the Great Depression, the government
instituted the Works Progress Administration, or WPA, and employed over eight million people.
The Ladies’ Law, from the Criminal Code of Alabama, Vol. III, 1907, reads: “Any person who enters
into, or goes sufficiently near to the dwelling house of another, and, in the presence or hearing of the
family of the occupant thereof, or any member of his family, or any person who, in the presence or
hearing of any girl or woman, uses abusive, insulting or obscene language must, on conviction, be
fined not more than two hundred dollars, and may also be imprisoned in the county jail, or
sentenced to hard labour for the county for not more than six months.”
National Recovery Act (NRA) was a series of programs set up to help the nation, especially the
nation’s businesses, recover from the effects of the Great Depression. It was ruled unconstitutional
by the Supreme Court in 1935. “NRA—We do our part” was the motto of the NRA.
“Nine old men” is a reference to the nine members of the Supreme Court.
© 2006 Saddleback Educational Publishing 32 <strong>Focus</strong> on Reading: To Kill a Mockingbird