"Mothers" Review

"Mothers" Review

By: Nikki Giovanni

Open Ended

What is a theme or central idea of a piece of literature?

Multiple Choice

Part A: Which sentence states a theme of the poem? (RL.8.2)

• As children grow up, their views of their mothers evolve and change.

• The most important lessons that children can learn come from mothers.

• As children grow up they will, without a doubt, grow apart from their mothers.

• Children only come to truly understand their mothers when they become parents themselves.

Multiple Select

Which two quotations from the passage support the answer to Part A? (RL.8.1)

Theme: As children grow up, their views of their mothers evolve and change.

• “the last time i was home/to see my mother we kissed/exchanged pleasantries”

• “i remember the first time/i consciously saw her/ we were living in a three room/apartment”

• “mommy always sat in the dark/i don’t know how i knew that but she did”

• “her hair was three-quarters her height/which made me a strong believer in the samson myth”

• “i taught it to my son/who recited it for her/just to say we must learn”

Open Ended

Read the following lines.
“just to say we must learn/to bear the pleasures/as we have borne the pains”
What do the lines reveal about the speaker? (RL.8.3)

What is this question asking? What are the most important parts?

Multiple Choice

Read the following lines.
“just to say we must learn/to bear the pleasures/as we have borne the pains”
What do the lines reveal about the speaker? (RL.8.3)

• The speaker has become familiar with the expectations of her mother, and she wants her son to learn.

• The speaker has reached a new level of understanding towards her mother, but her son does not appreciate the lessons being imposed.

• The speaker does not appreciate the teachings of her mother, but her son has adopted a more caring nature.

• The speaker has realized the nuances of her mother, and she is imparting her wisdom on her son.

Open Ended

What is an allusion?

Multiple Choice

Read lines 21-24.
“she may have been smoking but maybe not/her hair was three-quarters her height/which made me a strong believer in the samson myth/and very black”
What does the speaker’s allusion reveal about the mother? (RL.8.4)

• The speaker’s mother was a very strong woman, and her strength was tied to her actions.

• The speaker’s mother was a very resilient woman, but she lacked empathy for the speaker.

• The speaker’s mother was soft-natured, and she would only assert herself in certain situations.

• The speaker’s mother was ill-tempered, and her daughter easily could see her actions.

Open Ended

What is a connotation? How many types do you have?

Multiple Choice

Which word could replace prone as it is used in line 20 while maintaining a similar connotation? (L.8.5)

• unwilling

• devoted

• exposed

• liable

Multiple Choice

How does the author’s inclusion of the poem in lines 32-35 contribute to the development of the theme? (RL.8.5)

• The poem represents the mutual understanding that both the speaker and the mother have finally achieved.

• The poem represents the adverse relationship between the mother and the speaker, and how they have become distant throughout the years.

• The poem represents a shift in the speaker’s perspective, and it serves to highlight how the view of her mother has drastically changed.

• The poem represents the traditions that have been passed down from the mother to the speaker and now are being passed from the speaker to her son.

Open Ended

What is a point of view? Can it change?

Multiple Choice

 Part A: How does the speaker’s view of her mother change as she grows older? (RL.8.6)

• When she is a child, she views her mother as an almost mystical being, but when she is an adult, she views her more realistically.

• When she is a child, she views her mother as average, but when she is an adult, she views her as a larger-than-life figure.

• When she is a child, she views her mother with a sense of jealousy, but when she is an adult, she views her with admiration and respect.

• When she is a child, she views her mother negatively, but when she is an adult, she views her with more understanding.

Multiple Select

Part B: Which three set of lines from the poem support the answer chosen in Part A? (RL.8.1)

• “the last time i was home/to see my mother we kissed/exchanged pleasantries/and unpleasantries”

• “i remember the first time/i consciously saw her/we were living in a three-room”

• “mommy always sat in the dark/i don’t know how i knew that but she did”

• “her hair was three-quarters her height/which made me a strong believer in the samson myth”

• “just to say we must learn/to bear the pleasures/as we have borne the pains”

Multiple Choice

Which lines do the picture help the reader better understand? (RL.8.7)

• “the last time i was home”

• “mommy always sat in the dark”

• “i remember the first/i consciously saw her”

• “i remember thinking: what a beautiful lady”

Multiple Choice

Reread the last stanza. What do the lines reveal about the speaker’s mother? (RL.8.3)

• She is tired, and she wants her husband to hurry and get home.

• She is not concerned with the things around her, but she still wants to teach her daughter the importance of poetry.

• She is worried about the family’s current situation, but she refuses to allow her daughter to know their current situation.

• She is elated about her daughter wanting to learn poetry, and she is even more enthused when her grandson begins to learn as well.

Multiple Choice

Read the following lines.
“to bear the pleasures/as we have borne the pains”
How do these two lines contribute to the passage? (RL.8.5)

• The quotes illustrate how the mother and daughter have come to a mutual understanding of each other, and they plan to instill the same lessons to the speaker’s son.

• The quotes illustrate the pleasures and pain that have revolved around the speaker’s life, and the bright future she is trying to give her son.

• The quotes illustrate the hardships that the speaker’s mother had to endure, and the positive impact it will have on the speaker’s son.

• The quotes illustrate the distance in the speaker and her mother, and the distance that is developing between the speaker and her son.