Mother to Son and to James Practice

Who is the poem “Mother to Son” written by

• Idris Elba

• Langston Hughes

• Frederick Douglas

• Thomas Edison

Who is the speaker in the poem "Mother to Son"?

• The mother

• The daughter

• The son

• The father

In the poem, whom is the speaker addressing and about what?

• A mother is telling a story to her child about her own childhood.

• A mother is describing for her son the climb up a crystal staircase.

• A son us recounting a conversation with his mother about his struggle to earn a comfortable living.

• A mother is warning her son about the difficulties of life and the struggle to presevere.

The mother says that “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.” Used in this context, “crystal" means

• transparent and colorless.

• sharp and painful.

• beautiful and flawed.

• clear and smooth.

In this poem, boards with “tacks and splinters” and “boards torn up” are symbols for

• Run-down housing.

• A life that has had many difficulties and challenges.

• The ungrateful way the mother’s son treats her.

• The lack of compassion each man has for his fellow man

Why is a “stairway” a particularly appropriate metaphor to describe the wisdom the mother is trying to impart to her son?

• Stairways are almost always dirty and rough.

• One has to clean and wax a stairway to make it look good.

• A stairway takes steady persistence to climb and it can go up and down.

• Stairways are often found in expensive houses.

The tone of the poem "Mother To Son" is

• Light and fun

• Serious sharing of important information

• Angry and disappointed

When the mother says that her life hasn't been no crystal stair, it could mean that she has likely NOT had a life of.....

• heating and air-conditioning

• luxury

• electricity

The poem "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes uses dialect. Which of the following sentences give an example of dialect?

• "Let me tell you son,...."

• "LIfe has been a staircase with tacks and splinters."

• For I’se still goin’, honey,

  I’se still climbin’,

• "So boy, don't you turn back"

Who is the speaker?

• Son

• Mother

• Langston Hughes