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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. Who is the first male character mentioned in "Everyday Use?"
(a) Johnny Carson.
(b) John Thomas.
(c) Hakim-a-barber.
(d) Grandpa Jarrell.

2. At the beginning of "Everyday Use," what kind of tree does Ms. Johnson say she likes to sit outside and look up into while enjoying the breeze?
(a) An elm tree.
(b) A pine tree.
(c) A maple tree.
(d) A sycamore tree.

3. How does Ms. Johnson describe the man who emerges from the car with Dee?
(a) Short and thin with big glasses.
(b) Tall and thin with a big mustache.
(c) Tall and fat.
(d) Short and stocky with hair all over his head and chin.

4. When their school closes after the second grade, why don't the local Blacks protest?
(a) Their children are needed on the farm instead of in school.
(b) In 1927 they ask fewer questions than they do now.
(c) They fear violent repercussions.
(d) There is little community support for reopening it.

5. What does the person who wants the butter churn top tell Ms. Johnson she will do with it?
(a) Make butter in it.
(b) Use it as a flower vase.
(c) Hang it on her wall.
(d) Make it the centerpiece for her alcove table.

Short Answer Questions

1. What kind of jobs has Ms. Johnson always done well?

2. What is the socioeconomic status of Ms. Johnson in "Everyday Use?"

3. At the beginning of "Everyday Use," who does Ms. Johnson say will regard Dee with a mixture of envy and awe?

4. Who makes the sounds in the kitchen?

5. Who whittles Ms. Johnson's churn top?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What is Ms. Johnson's relationship with her daughter Dee like?

3. Why doesn't Dee think Maggie deserves their mother's two hand-stitched quilts?

4. Why does Dee change her name to Wangero in "Everyday Use?"

5. What is revealed about Aunt Dicie/Big Dee in "Everyday Use" even though she doesn't appear onstage?

6. What does Maggie wear for Dee's visit and what does her outfit illustrate about her character?

7. What is the significance of Dee's always wanting to read to people in her youth?

8. Why are the hairstyles of Hakim-a-barber and Dee/Wangero described in such detail in the story while Maggie and Ms. Johnson's hairstyles are not described?

9. In Alice Walker's "Everyday Use," who is the antagonist of the story and what identifies that character as the antagonist?

10. How did Dee react when her mother offered her a quilt before Dee left for college and what has caused her to change her opinion about having a quilt now?

(see the answer keys)

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