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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is Dee's father?

2. Who stands under a gum tree and observes from a safe distance while tragedy strikes the old Johnson house a decade earlier?

3. What looks like a mule tail to Ms. Johnson when she sees Dee's male companion?

4. When Ms. Johnson finds Wangero's name hard to pronounce, what does Wangero say?

5. What is the relationship of the person who whittles Ms. Johnson's butter churn top to Aunt Dicie/Big Dee?

Short Essay Questions

1. To whom is Dee referring when she says "It's really a new day for us" at the end of the story?

2. What happens when Dee tries to share her educational knowledge with her mother and sister?

3. Describe Dee's relationship with Jimmy T and what it indicates about her.

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

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

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

7. What does Ms. Johnson think Maggie believes is her "portion" in life?

8. What information is revealed about Grandma Dee in "Everyday Use" even though she never appears onstage?

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

10. What other folk art is mentioned in "Everyday Use" besides quilting?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the use of color in the story. Select at least three examples from the following list and discuss what they mean and how the author uses them to convey a theme or depict a character: Dee's white heels, Dee's yellow organdy dress, Dee's green suit, Dee's yellow and orange dress, Dee's gold earrings and bracelets, or Maggie's pink skirt and red blouse.

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the characters of Maggie, Dee/Wangero, and Mrs. Johnson in "Everyday Use." Which sister do you think is most like their mother and why? Which character or characters do you think represent southern Black culture? Cite examples from the text to support your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the character of Hakim-a-barber and how he illustrates Black Muslim culture in the story. What do you think Alice Walker is saying about Black Muslims through him? Cite examples from the text to support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

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