Little Things Ae Big

The narrator wonders if he should help a woman on the train because…

• she is alone and clearly looks upset.
• women are not as strong as men and require help.
• she seems overwhelmed with her traveling load.
• e likes her and wants to know more about her.

The narrator thought that the woman would…

• deny she needed anyone to help her.
• offer him a reward for helping her out.
• avoid accepting his help because of his race.
• become upset because he didn't offer to help.

Which of the following explains how the narrator feels at the end of the story?

• frightened and nervous
• offended and discouraged
• invisible and furious
• unsatisfied and embarrassed

Which statement best describes the relationship between the author and the woman on the train?

• The woman on the train is afraid of the author and is prejudiced towards him because of his race.
• The author is worried about the woman on the train because she looks overwhelmed and needs someone to talk to.
• The author and the woman have no relationship whatsoever because they are strangers on a train and never interact.
• The author wants to offer the woman help but is afraid to do so because he doesn’t know what her reaction will be.

PART A: What does the phrase “I buried my courtesy” mean as it is used in paragraph 5?

• He forever loses the part of himself that was polite and thoughtful and will never be able to get it back.
• He hides his courtesy from this woman and the world, fearing that they will take it from him.
• He resists the urge to help another and later feels mournful regret at the temporary loss of his polite nature.
• He realizes that he has lost his sense of courtesy long ago after coming to America, and he mourns its loss by burying it.

The author asks himself a series of questions throughout the passage. How do these questions develop or convey the author’s point of view?

• The author questions himself and his actions after a white woman with a heavy suitcase and three children boards the train. 
• He is conflicted because he wants to help but he is unsure if he should: “Should I offer my help?” (Paragraph 2)
• He questions what she will say — if she will be grateful or not — in order to anticipate any outcome. He even wonders, “What do I do if she screamed when I went to offer my help?” (Paragraph 4).
• All of the above