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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. How long is Dee's dress when she exits the car?
(a) It touches the ground.
(b) It is a mini skirt.
(c) It reaches her knees.
(d) It touches her calves.

2. What is Ms. Johnson's marital state?
(a) Married.
(b) The story never reveals this fact.
(c) Separated.
(d) Divorced.

3. How does Ms. Johnson describe Maggie's fiance?
(a) A man with mossy teeth in an earnest face.
(b) A handsome man with a mustache.
(c) A tall man with thick glasses.
(d) A short, fat man with dimples.

4. What drives Jimmy T, a former suitor, away from Dee?
(a) She criticizes him too much.
(b) She isn't rich enough for him.
(c) She isn't smart enough for him.
(d) She cheats on him.

5. Which of the following is not in a Polaroid of the Johnson family reunion?
(a) Ms. Johnson.
(b) Dee.
(c) Maggie.
(d) A cow.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which of the following characters are mentioned in "Everyday Use" but do not actually appear on stage?

2. Who whittles Ms. Johnson's butter churn dasher?

3. What does the person who wants the butter churn top tell Ms. Johnson she will do with it?

4. What does Dee's companion end up asking the family to call him?

5. Who escapes unharmed from the tragedy that befell the old Johnson house?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do the Johnson family heirlooms like the butter churn and patchwork quilts indicate about the Johnson family and about southern Black culture?

2. What is Maggie's relationship with Dee like?

3. Discuss the role of Great Grandpa Ezra in "Everyday Use."

4. 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?

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

6. Describe John Thomas and his role in the story.

7. Although the exact setting of "Everyday Use" is never specified, what clues in the text indicate where the story takes place?

8. What is Aunt Dicie/Big Dee's role in "Everyday Use?"

9. Why does Ms. Johnson's clean her yard prior to Dee's visit at the beginning of Alice Walker's "Everyday Use?"

10. Ms. Johnson's dream involves appearing on television with Dee and having Dee thank her for her role in Dee's succee. Is there any evidence in "Everyday Use" that Dee appreciate her mother's role in her success?

(see the answer keys)

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