In Huckleberry Finn, which character ran a scam selling tartar remover?

• A. Jim
• B. Huck Finn
• C. Pap
• D. The Duke

Answer: (D)

The setup tests your understanding of the traveling con artists in the text and how their scams unfold. The tartar remover scam is one of the cons they pull to show how easily people can be swayed by a confident pitch and a fancy story. The character who runs this particular scheme is the Duke, the more active mastermind among the duo of Huck’s river companions. He handles the pitch, sets up the display, and walks away with the money, embodying the quick-witted charm and flurry of lies that define their scams. The other figures you mentioned aren’t the ones orchestrating this specific con, and Huck and Jim aren’t running scams themselves; Pap isn’t involved in these schemes either. Seeing the Duke pull off this fake dental remedy helps illustrate how the con artists manipulate trust and vanity to profit, which ties into Huck’s evolving awareness of deceit around him.