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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What animal does Ms. Johnson describe as "soothing and slow?"
(a) Cows.
(b) Cats.
(c) Horses.
(d) Dogs.

2. How many rooms does the Johnsons' current house have?
(a) Five.
(b) Three.
(c) Eight.
(d) Two.

3. How does Hakim-a-barber feel about the group of people to which Ms. Johnson asks if he belongs?
(a) He considers them allies.
(b) He shares their doctrines, but doesn't farm or raise cattle.
(c) He disagrees with their doctrines.
(d) He hates them.

4. What scrap of Great Grandpa Ezra's clothing is in the quilts?
(a) A piece of his wedding pants.
(b) A piece of his Civil War uniform.
(c) A piece of his christening gown.
(d) A piece of his old red flannel shirt.

5. Why do the Johnsons have dining benches instead of dining chairs?
(a) They can't afford chairs.
(b) Dee's father doesn't know how to make chairs.
(c) They don't like chairs.
(d) Ms. Johnson finds chairs uncomfortable to sit on.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does Dee think the quilts will become rags in five years?

2. During the winter, how does Ms. Johnson get water for washing?

3. Which Johnson family women quilts the quilt tops that Grandma Dee pieces?

4. Why advantage does Ms. Johnson think her substitute gift has over the quilts Wangero wants?

5. How does the man who emerges from the car with Dee wear his hair?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happened to the Johnsons' previous home and how has this tragedy affected the family?

2. Alice Walker never names the narrator of this story. The reader is told only that she is a member of the Johnson family. What might the author of "Everyday Use" have intended to convey about the character of Ms. Johnson by not naming her?

3. Explain the difference in what Dee wants to use her mother's quilts and the way Maggie wants to use the quilts.

4. Explain Dee's feelings about white people.

5. When Ms. Johnson gives Grandma Dee's hand-stitched quilts to Maggie, how does each Johnson sister in "Everyday Use" react?

6. What does Maggie's smile at the end of "Everyday Use" indicate?

7. How strong is Ms. Johnson physically and what might her physical strength indicate about her inner strength?

8. What do Dee's light skin and her white heel symbolize?

9. Describe the Johnson family home.

10. Why does Dee's sister Maggie feel insecure when Hakim-a-barber tries to shake her hand?

(see the answer keys)

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