Dan’l Webster is the frog that Smiley educates
to jump higher, faster, and farther than any other frog
. He beats all the competition until the day that the stranger fills him with quail shot, immobilizing him.
What does Jim Smiley find out has happened to Dan L Webster?
The stranger takes the challenge, so Smiley
goes off and catches a frog in the marsh
for the stranger. When Dan’l Webster loses the jumping contest, Smiley is puzzled until he picks Dan’l up and the frog burps up some quail shot. Then he realizes he’s been cheated. Smiley runs after the stranger but fails to catch him.
Why did Jim Smiley undertake to educate Dan L Webster?
Smiley was hoping to
convince the stranger to bet on how well Dan’l could jump
. Dan’l looked like he had something wrong with him, and Smiley was worried. Simon Wheeler had cheated on a bet, and Smiley was angry. Smiley was hoping to convince the stranger to bet on how well Dan’l could jump.
Why is Smiley so proud of Dan L Webster?
Why is Smiley so proud of Dan L Webster? Jim Smiley’s frog, Dan’l Webster, was
a well-trained amphibian that Smiley used to enhance his winnings at gambling
. Smiley had invested heavily in Dan’l. Although he was just a common bullfrog that Smiley had caught, Smiley spent three months “educating” him.
What does Jim Smiley teach frog?
What did Smiley teach the frog to do? For three months, Jim Smiley did nothing but sit in his backyard and teach his pet frog, Dan’l Webster,
how to jump higher
. Smiley trained the frog to jump on command when he tapped its back, and he taught it to catch any fly with its tongue, no matter the distance.
Why does Jim Smiley lose the frog jumping contest?
When a stranger passes through town, Smiley is eager to challenge the man to a frog-jumping competition. The stranger accepts, but when Smiley isn’t looking,
he fills Webster with quail-shot to weigh him down
, causing Webster to lose the competition and thereby earning the stranger Smiley’s 40 dollars.
Why did Jim Smiley train his frog jump?
He named the frog Daniel Webster and taught it to jump. The frog learned to
jump so well that he could jump and catch flies long-distance
. All Jim Smiley had to do was yell, “Flies, Dan’l, flies!” and the frog would jump (Twain, “The Notorious Jumping Frog,” p. 4).
What sort of person is Jim Smiley?
Jim Smiley was
a man who was hopelessly addicted to gambling
. He placed bets compulsively, but he also invested in gambling seriously as his occupation. He would bet on just about any random event if he had someone to bet against him, and in those cases he wasn’t picky about which side he was on.
How did the stranger get Smiley to leave him alone with the frog?
How did the stranger get Smiley to leave him alone with the frog?
He said he had no frog
. As soon as he got the money, the stranger ran off without a word. After he discovered that the frog had been weighted, Smiley forced the stranger to give back the money.
What was the best between Smiley and the stranger?
Smiley took the bet, leaving Dan’l with the stranger while he went to the swamp
to find another frog
. The wily stranger opened Dan’l’s mouth and poured in a teaspoon full of “quail shot” (or bird shot, the pellets found in a shotgun shell), and waited for Smiley to return.
Why is the frog so important to Smiley?
The first reason Smiley is proud of his frog is because
his frog is an amazing jumper
. Readers are told that the frog is “so gifted” and that the frog’s strong suit is jumping on level ground. He could cover a great distance in a very short amount of time, and other animals of his breed are slower in those conditions.
What is Jim Smiley’s most notable trait?
What is Jim Smiley’s most notable trait?
He is really tall
.
What can you infer about Jim Smiley based on each of the following examples?
What can you infer about Jim Smiley based on each of the following examples?
You can infer that Smiley likes to win bets.
… Wheeler describes Smiley as a bull pup, which is amusing because of Smiley’s daring attitude.
Why does Smiley get angry?
Why does Smiley get angry? He realizes that
the reason his frog could not jump as high was because the man weighed down the frog with quail shot
.
Why did the stranger fill the frog with quail shot?
Though we know very little about the stranger, we do know that he isn’t impressed by Dan’l Webster and keeps insisting that he looks like an ordinary frog to him. We also know that he really wants that forty bucks, so
he cheats by filling
Dan’l with quail shot so the frog can’t jump.
What does Jim Smiley bet concerning Parson’s wife?
He bets on dog fights or horse races or even on the minister, Parson Walker. One time, Parson Walker’s wife was really sick, and Smiley bet
that she wouldn’t get well
.
