The White Umbrella

The Lees were the only other Chinese family in town. I remembered how sorry my parents had felt for Mrs. Lee when she started waitressing downtown the year before; and so when my mother began coming home late, I didn’t say anything and tried to keep Mona from saying anything either.

QUESTION: Why is the narrator's mother hiding that she works?

• She doesn't want her kids to worry

• She is embarrassed that she needs to work.

• She doesn't know how long she will be working.

• She is angry that she needs to get a second job.

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“Oh, you poor, poor dears,” said old Miss Crosman. “Why don’t you call me the next time it’s like this out? If your mother won’t drive you, I can come pick you up.”

“No, that’s okay,” I answered. Mona wrung her hair out on Miss Crosman’s rug. “We just couldn’t get the roof of our car to close, is all. We took it to the beach last summer and got sand in the mechanism.” I pronounced this last word carefully, as if the credibility of my lie depended on its middle syllable. “It’s never been the same.” I thought for a second. “It’s a convertible.”

QUESTION: The narrator tells Miss Crossman that they drove to their lesson because she..

• doesn't want her to know where they live

• doesn't want to admit that their mom didn't drive them

• is afraid Miss Crossman will be mad at their room

• wants Miss Crossman to think they have a car

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“Stay right there,” she said, then came back a minute later with a towel to cover the bench. “You must be cold,” she continued. “Shall I call your mother and have her bring over some dry clothes?”

“No,” answered Mona. “She won’t come because she...”

“She’s too busy,” I broke in from the back of the room.

“I see.” Miss Crossman sighed and shook her head a little. “Your glasses are filthy, honey,” she said to Mona. “Shall I clean them for you?”

QUESTION: Why does the narrator interrupt Mona?

• She doesn't want Miss Crossman to bother their mom at home

• She isn't sure where her mom is at the moment

• She doesn't want her mom to come and meet Miss Crossman

• She doesn't want Miss Crossman to know where their mom is really is

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“Oh! That was stupendous,” she said without hugging me. “Stupendous! You are a genius, young lady. If your mother had started you younger, you’d be playing like Eugenie Roberts by now!”

I looked at the keyboard, wishing that I had still a third, even more difficult piece to play for her. I wanted to tell her that I was the school spelling bee champion, that I wasn’t ticklish, that I could do karate.

“My mother is a concert pianist,” I said.

She looked at me for a long moment, then finally, without saying anything, hugged me. I didn’t say anything about bringing the umbrella to Eugenie at school.

QUESTION: Why does the narrator tell Miss Crosman that her mother is a concert pianist?

• She wants to impress Miss Crossman

• Her mother used to be a concert pianist

• She wants to be a concert pianist

• Her mother is as good as a concert pianist

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“Do you want to wait inside?” Miss Crossman looked anxiously at the sky.

“No,” I said. “Our mother will be here any minute.”

“In a while,” said Mona.

“Any minute,” I said again, even though my mother had been at least twenty minutes late every week since she started working.

QUESTION: Which of the following describes the narrator's attitude?

• She is hurt that her mother forgot about her

• She is proud that her mom is working

• She is stubborn to admit that her mom isn't nearby

• She is convinced that her mother isn't coming.

Answer explanation

TONE-

The author used words that describe her attitude in the story.

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I could not believe that I was actually holding the umbrella, opening it. It sprang up by itself as if it were alive, as if that were what it wanted to do—as if it belonged in my hands, above my head. I stared up at the network of silver spokes, then spun the umbrella around and around and around. It was so clean and white that it seemed to glow, to illuminate everything around it. “It’s beautiful,” I said.

QUESTION: Which of the following describes how the narrator feels when she gets to use the umbrella?

• She is amazed by how beautiful it is.

• She realizes it's not as amazing as she thought

• She finds it pretty but not practical

• She realizes it's not as good as her raincoat.

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QUESTION: What does the following quote reveal about the narrator's attitude ?

"I wanted to tell her that I was the school spelling bee champion, that I wasn't ticklish, that I could do karate"

• The narrator wishes she was more like the girls at her school

• The narrator wants Miss Crossman to know more about who she is

• The narrator wants people to think she's something she's not.

• The narrator feels shy and unable to share who she is with Miss Crossman.

Answer explanation

Here, the narrator used words that show her attitude towards what she wrote.

We call it TONE.

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Which statement expresses a main theme in the short story?

• During difficult times, it is important for family members to come together and work towards a common goal.

• Sometimes the best support comes from people who are outside of your family.

• It is easier to blend in with the crowd than to stand out and share what makes you unique

• People often don’t realize the significance of what they have until they’ve lost it.

Answer explanation

Here, the narrator used words that show her attitude towards what she wrote.

We call it TONE.

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