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Everyday Use Quiz

Total questions: 25

Worksheet time: 49mins

Name
Class
Date
1.
What is the central conflict of Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use”?
a)
the cultural and personal struggle between Maggie and her mom vs. Dee
b)
the inner conflict between Dee vs. herself on whether she should claim what is rightfully hers
c)
the political and racial struggle of Maggie, her mom, and Dee vs. white society
d)
the socioeconomic clash between the poor and the rich
2.
What do the churn, the quilt, and the Polaroids that Dee takes best symbolize to her?
a)
the Black Pride movement and empowerment popular in the 1960s and the AfricanAmerican voice over those who attempt to stifle it
b)
her family’s hard work and support of Dee, her education, and her upbringing
c)
relics from her family’s past and African-American culture that should be remembered but not used
d)
slavery and all of the atrocities that African-Americans endured over the years
3.
All of the following quotes are clues or examples of the Johnson's’ poor status except which?
a)
“Everything delighted [Dee]. Even the fact that we still used the benches her daddy made for the table when we couldn’t afford to buy chairs.”
b)
“[T]hat was before we raised the money, the church and me, to send her to Augusta to school.”
c)
“[T]hen the two of us sat there just enjoying, until it was time to go in the house and go to bed.” 
d)
“There are no real windows, just some holes cut in the sides, like the portholes in a ship, but not round and not square, with rawhide holding the shutters up on the outside.”
4.
How does the action of Maggie “[trying] to dig a well in the sand with her toe” characterize her when Dee returns home?
a)
This action characterizes Maggie as being adventurous and curious of the world around her. 
b)
This action characterizes Maggie as being conscientious and mindful of the earth. 
c)
This action characterizes Maggie as being physical and energetic. 
d)
This action characterizes Maggie as being weak, non-confrontational, or afraid of Dee. 
5.
Why does Mama still refer to Dee by her preferred name (Wangero) when referencing her?
a)
Mama agrees with her daughter that African-Americans shouldn’t use their slave names and should all invent new names for each other
b)
Mama doesn’t respect her daughter’s choices and teases her by using her new name
c)
Mama  still respects her wishes and will call her daughter what she prefers.
d)
Mama uses the name to mock her daughter and criticize how different she is now.
6.
Who is the narrator of "Everyday Use"?
a)
Dee
b)
Maggie
c)
Unidentified
d)
the mother
7.
Why does Dee change her name?
a)
She did not like her Aunt Dee
b)
Her boyfriend told her to
c)
She wanted to make Mamma mad
d)
So she won't have a white oppressor name
8.
When Ms. Johnson offers Dee a quilt in the past, what is Dee's reaction?
a)
She gave it ways
b)
She doesn't want it because it is old-fashioned.
c)
She threw it in the trash
d)
She sold them to a white lady for tuition
9.
When is the main conflict of the story resolved?
a)
Mama takes the quilts from Maggie and gives them to Dee
b)
The quilt rips and falls to the ground
c)
Dee steals the quilts and drives off
d)
Mama takes the quilts from Dee and gives them to Maggie
10.
When is the main conflict of the story resolved?
a)
Mama takes the quilts from Maggie and gives them to Dee
b)
The quilt rips and falls to the ground
c)
Dee steals the quilts and drives off
d)
Mama takes the quilts from Dee and gives them to Maggie
11.
What is the central theme of the story?
a)
the importance of going to college and becoming better than everyone else
b)
Life is too short to live in a poor situation
c)
the importance of standing up for yourself
d)
the importance of heritage and culture to an individual's understanding of his or her life and identity.
12.

Based on the following description of Dee, which inference can you make about her? “She used to read to us without pity; forcing words, lies, other folks’ habits, whole lives upon us two, sitting trapped and ignorant underneath her voice.”

a)

She knew how important it was to educate her mother and sister.

b)

The stories she told were meant to frighten her family and keep them awake at night.

c)

Dee found many ways to show her mother and sister that she was smarter than they were.

d)

Because she could read so well, Dee probably would make a fine teacher.

13.

Which inference can you make about Maggie from the following description? “‘How do I look, Mama?’ Maggie says, showing just enough of her thin body enveloped in pink skirt and red blouse for me to know she’s there, almost hidden by the door.”

a)

Being unsure of herself, Maggie needed her mother to tell her she looked nice.

b)

No matter what she wore, Maggie always wanted her mother to compliment her.

c)

Because Maggie was small and thin, she liked to wear bright colors to stand out.

d)

The door was so heavy that Maggie could not open it herself.

14.

Dee wants the old family quilts because

a)

new quilts are too expensive, and she cannot afford to buy them

b)

they represent her family’s history and remind her of her ancestors

c)

she wants only handmade articles for her home

d)

they include all the colors she has used in her home

15.

Mama gives the quilts to Maggie because she

a)

knows that Maggie has always liked colorful things

b)

thinks that Maggie can get a lot of money by selling them

c)

believes Maggie will treat them with more care than Dee will

d)

already has promised to give them to her when Maggie is ready for marriage

16.

Which of the following can you infer about Maggie?

a)

She is eager to see her sister.

b)

She misses the old house.

c)

She’s been unsure of herself for years.

d)

She will soon sell the quilts.

17.
"Everyday Use" is set in
a)
Old South Alabama
b)
Old South Georgia
c)
Old South Mississippi
d)
Old South Florida
18.

Why was Maggie not confident about her own appearance?

a)

Maggie felt she was too light-skinned

b)

Maggie had scars from being burned as a child

c)

Maggie did not have long, "good" hair

d)

Maggie felt she was too fat

19.

How could we describe the narrator (Dee and Maggie's mother) in "Everyday Use"?

a)

Nervous and shy

b)

Well-mannered and well-educated

c)

Big and strong

d)

Small and delicate

20.

What kind of work does the narrator do in this story?

a)

She is a maid for a white family

b)

She is a rich woman that doesn't have to work

c)

She is a public school teacher

d)

She does heavy farmwork

21.

From the way Dee is described in the story, what would be the best way to describe her?

a)

She is hard to get along with

b)

She has many good friends

c)

She loves manual labor

d)

She is a wife and mother

22.

What does the narrator learn that Dee has changed about herself?

a)

Her style of clothes

b)

Her name

c)

Her hair color

d)

Her career

23.

Which is NOT the theme of "Everyday Use"?

a)

Family members sometimes grow apart

b)

Change and transitions can cause conflicts

c)

People honor the past in different ways

d)

Integration can fix society's problems

24.

How does the narrator first describe Dee?

a)

A tall, slender girl who is fearful of the future

b)

A robust, lean girl, who is an extrovert and assertive

c)

An overconfident, insensitive girl who is judgmental and provocative

d)

A scarred, timid girl who is jealous of the fortitude and independence of her sister.

25.

Why does Mama fantasize about game shows?

a)

She wants to reunite with Dee

b)

She wants to marry a famous game show host, like Johnny Carson.

c)

She wants Dee to be grateful towards her for raising her

d)

She wants to be the mother that Dee loves and accepts