Thank You Ma'am and Mother to Son

Who wrote "Thank You Ma'am" and "Mother to Son"?

• Lindson Everrett

• Robert Irving

• Langston Hughes

Compare the structure of the story and the poem. How do the different structures affect the style of each poem?

• Thank You Ma'am is optimistic and hopeful while Mother to Son is resilient and gritty.

• Thank You Ma'am is complex and serious while Mother to Son is carefree and humorous.

• Thank You Ma'am is controlling while Mother to Son is imaginative.

• Thank You Ma'am is formal while Mother to Son is light-hearted.

In the "Mother to Son", the mother compares her life to a _____ 

• river

• road

• staircase

• journey

Why do you think the author began and finished the piece with, "Life for me ain't been no crystal stair"?

• To emphasize an important idea.

• To show the passage of time.

• To show that the author is forgetful.

• To describe the stair.

In "Thank you, Ma'm", how does Mrs. Jones meet Roger?

• at school career day
  

• at a church social

• when she tries to break up a street fight between Roger and his friend

• when he tries to steal her purse

The author says that "Life for me ain't been no crystal stair." Used in this poem, what does "crystal" mean?

• transparent and slippery

• rough

• beautiful and dangerous

• clear and smooth

The extended metaphor of life being compared to a staircase helps the reader--

• feel sorry for the struggling mother.

• want a better life for the speaker’s son.

• understand that the speaker’s life has been a constant struggle.

• realize that the speaker feels as if her life will never get any better.

Which line from the poem reflects a lesson the speaker wants her son to learn?

• Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair

• And places with no carpet on the floor

• So boy, don’t you turn back

• I’se still climbin’

Which answer best explains the significance of the following example of repetition:
It’s had tacks in it, And splinters,And boards torn up,And places with no carpet on the floor-Bare.

• The repetition of “And” emphasizes that there are many difficulties in life.

• The repetition of “And” is used for transitions.

• The repetition of “And” is needed to create lists in poems.

• The repetition of “And” helps to lengthen the mother’s advice to her son.

Which sentence most clearly and completely states the central idea of "Thank You Ma'am"?

• A young boy is taken home to wash his face, eat dinner, and buy some shoes.

• A young boy snatches a lady's purse and has to wash his face.

• A young boy robs and old woman and never sees her again.

• A young boy is lost in life, but his path is straightened when he attempts to rob and old woman, whom teaches him a life lesson.