Question

warm up: identifying word directions: read the description below and answer the question that follows. the adventures of tom sawyer summary the novel centers on the mischievous boy tom sawyer, who lives in the quaint village of st. petersburg, missouri under the care of his kind aunt polly, along with his mean brother sid and angelic cousin mary. as a collection of stories, the novel is loosely structured, but follows toms transformation from a disobedient boy who longs to escape authority to a responsible community member committed to respectability. toms first adventure occurs as a result of him playing hooky, stealing snacks, sneaking in late, and various other misdeeds. as punishment, aunt polly tells him to whitewash and clean her fence on a saturday. tom convinces his friends that whitewashing the fence is actually a privilege, and gets them to not only do the work for him but to pay him with various charms for the opportunity. what does the phrase, “playing hooky,” mean as it is used in the text above? a. steering clear of trouble b. fulfilling one’s dreams c. avoiding obligations d. getting caught.

Explanation:

The context shows Tom was misbehaving by not doing what he was supposed to (like going to school or doing chores), which aligns with avoiding obligations. "Playing hooky" is an idiom meaning to skip school or work without permission, which is a form of avoiding obligations.

Answer:

c. avoiding obligations