One of America’s finest writers was Mark Twain, (who, whom) was born in November 1835.

Mark Twain, (who, whom) was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, was the fourth of five children.

The family’s poverty was obvious to (whoever, whomever) made their acquaintance.

When he was four, his father, (who, whom) was a hard worker but a poor provider, moved the family to Hannibal, Missouri.

When his father died, the boy, (who, whom) was twelve, was apprenticed to a printer.

Sam’s older brother, Orion, (who, whom) bought the Hannibal Journal, gave him his first experience with typesetting and writing.

(Whoever, Whomever) struck Sam’s fancy became the subject of his witty characterizations.

The people (who, whom) Sam spoofed often made trouble for Orion.

Orion, (who, whom) was often frustrated with his brother, knew that the satire sold papers.

In 1857, young Clemens apprenticed himself to a riverboat pilot (who, whom) he had come to respect.

Sam, (who, whom) had received his pilot’s license, tried this new trade for two and a half years.

The author, (who, whom) called these years the happiest of his life, later wrote about piloting in Life on the Mississippi.

The young man, (who, whom) wanted nothing to do with the Civil War, went with his brother to Nevada to do some mining.

Soon Clemens, (who, whom) had begun using the pen name Mark Twain, was writing for the Enterprise in Virginia City.

His contributions were popular with (whoever, whomever) would read them.

In 1864 Mark, (who, whom) fortune still eluded, went to San Francisco where he worked on several newspapers.

He often made time to listen to (whoever, whomever) had tall tales to tell.

A miner, (who, whom) Twain met in Calaveras County, provided him with a “jumping frog” story that the author set down in words.

Twain, (who, whom) was called the “Wild Humorist of the Pacific Slope,” achieved a measure of national fame with this story.

Traveling to the Hawaiian Islands, the Mediterranean, and the Holy Land, he was a correspondent (who, whom) wrote glittering pieces for his employers.

Innocents Abroad was a revision of these experiences that secured the fame of the author, upon (who, whom) fortune seemed to smile at last.

In 1869, he married Olivia Langdon, (who, whom) was from Elmira, New York.

Olivia, (who, whom) modified many of Mark’s exaggerations, sometimes improved their readability but often weakened the writing.

Twain, (who, whom) bought a publishing house in Hartford, Connecticut, earned much money from writing, lecturing, and publishing.

The writer, (who, whom) now rode the crest of popularity, abandoned journalism for literature.