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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. What is the boy wearing when he tries to steal the woman's purse?

2. What does the woman do to the purse thief in paragraph one after trying to steal her purse?

3. How does the woman respond to the boy's explanation for why he wanted to steal her purse?

4. What question does the woman ask the boy after he tries to steal her purse?

5. Who is the author of "Thank You, Ma'am"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do passersby do while the woman is talking to the boy after he tried to steal her purse?

2. What does the woman say about the boy's face after he tries to apologize to her?

3. How is the woman describe at the start of "Thank You, Ma'am"? What does she look like? What does she have with her? What time is it?

4. What does the woman say to the boy when he tells her she was not bothering him when she walking down the street?

5. What does someone try to do to the woman as she is walking down the street at the start of the story?

6. How does the woman react to the boy's action at the start of the story?

7. What does the woman say to the boy when he tells her he was not trying to steal her purse?

8. What two questions does the woman ask the boy after he tries to steal her purse and how does he reply?

9. What does the woman tell the boy she would do if she was his mother? What does she say is the least she can do for him since she is not his mother?

10. What does the woman demand from the boy after he tries to steal her purse?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay examining Mrs. Jones' purse as a symbol in “Thank You, Ma’am.” In what scenes does the purse appear? What is the context? How does the purse develop the narrative?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay analyzing the symbolic significance the boy's economic status has on the story. Why is this important and how does it develop the themes of the story? What would be different if he were wealthy? Use examples from the text to support your viewpoint.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss each character and the conflicts they encounter in the story. How do they handle their conflicts? What does this say about the character?

(see the answer keys)

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