Mama Miti Comprehension Test

1. Wangari learned to respect trees as a young woman. What was the source of this respect, according to the story?

• She read stories about the value of planting trees in her local library in Kenya.
• She first learned about trees in college, where she studied ecology.
• She grew up listening to traditional stories about people solving problems using sacred trees, such as mugumo and thigi, in her village near Mount Kenya.
• She grew up listening to traditional stories explaining how to plant trees in her village near Mount Kenya.

2. On page 138, who is the one wearing blue cloth with squiggles all through it?

• a poor woman from the western valley
• Wangari Maathai

3. What is the meaning of "thayu nyumba," and why is it repeated throughout the story?

• "Peace, my people" -- it is repeated because repetition is used in all biographies.
• "Strong tree" -- it is repeated because Wangari wants everyone to grow trees that last a long time.
• "Wise tree" -- it is repeated because Wangari wants people to gain wisdom from planting mubiru muiru trees.
• "Peace, my people" -- it is repeated because Wangari believes that peace with nature can lead to a peaceful country.

4. "Her daughters stood beside her, thin as ropes." This sentence from page 140

• is a simile that compares the daughters to ropes.
• is a metaphor that compares the daughters to ropes.
• is a simile that compares the woman to ropes.
• is a metaphor that compares the woman to ropes.

5. How does the illustration on page 141 help the reader understand that years have gone by since the woman from the south accepted mukinduri seedlings from Wangari?

• The sky is orange in the illustration on page 141, but it was blue on page 140.
• The woman and her daughters are wearing different clothing on page 141 than they were on page 140.
• A seedling from page 140 has grown into a full-sized tree on page 141, and the daughters appear taller.
• The woman and her daughters are in a different village on page 141 than they were on page 140.

6. What text evidence helps the reader understand the meaning of fodder in paragraph 17?

• "said a woman from the northern desert."
• "Plant a tree."
• "how can my husband feed the animals, too?"
• "no money to buy medicine for them."

7. What sort of tree was recommended by Wangari to protect farm animals from predators? (page 143)

• mukinduri
• muheregendi
• muluhakuha
• mukawa

8. Which of the following is NOT true about the trees that Wangari recommended to the different women who asked for help?

• The trees all had different names.
• The trees all had the same purpose.
• The trees all provided some sort of assistance to the women.
• The trees all came with Wangari's wish of "thayu nyumba."

9. On page 146, why does it state that Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, was "Kiinuini again."

• The city had voted to change its name in honor of Wangari Maathai.
• Many miinu trees had been planted there in Wangari's lifetime.
• Kiinuini means "peace, my people," and there was peace again.
• Kiinuini was a word for the tadpoles that swam in the streams of Nairobi.

10. What is the central point that the author tried to convey about Wangari Maathai through the story Mama Miti?

• that Wangari changed her country and its people for the better
• that Wangari knew many things about trees
• that Wangari listened to ancient stories
• that Wangari was visited by many women over the years