Quiz for "The First Day" by Edward P. Jones

Who is the narrator of the story?

• The mother

• The daughter

• Edward P. Jones

• The school principal

Which of the following is a metaphor?

• That football player is a bulldozer on the field.

• My mother is now diseased.

• The angry thunder was loud during the storm.

• The woman who greets us has peals thick as jumbo marbles.

Which of the following sentences uses personification?

• Just inside the front door, women out of the advertisements in Ebony are greeting other parents and children.

• The woman who greets us has pearls thick as jumbo marbles that come down almost to her navel.

• We cross New York Avenue.

• We enter Seaton Elementary School, a timeworn, sadfaced building.

What is the name of the mother?

• Walker-Jones

• Mary Keith

• No name is stated

• Blondelle Harris

What text evidence shows you how the mother feels about the importance of the first day of school for her daughter?

• "In an otherwise unremarkable September morning, long before I learned to be ashamed of my mother, she takes my hand and we set off down New Jersey Avenue to begin my very first day of school."

• "My mother has uncharacteristically spent nearly an hour on my hair that morning."

• "We find our way to the crowded auditorium where gray metal chairs are set up in the middle of the room."

• "My mother presents the form to a woman sitting in front of the stage."

What is the theme of the story?

• All is fair in love and war.

• Education has value.

• Staring is rude.

• Daughters are always ashamed of their mothers.

What is the setting of the story?

• A small town in January

• A large city in September

• A suburb in July

• A rural location in May

Why can't the daughter attend Seaton Elementary School?

• The mother doesn't have the correct forms to sign up her daughter.

• The principal thinks the daughter is disruptive.

• Seaton is already full and can't accept any more students.

• The daughter and mother do not live in that school zone.

Why does the mother ask for help with filling out the school forms?

• She is too busy to fill out the forms.

• She cannot read or write.

• She has illegible handwriting.

• She is nervous.

Why does the author repeat "This is my mother:" in the story?

• The author wants to emphasize how the daughter perceives her mother as the day progresses.

• The author didn't mean to repeat that statement.

• The author wants to confuse the readers.

• The author is very repetitive for no reason.