Everyday use

15. How do the details in this passage from "Everyday Use" most clearly characterize the narrator as she interacts with her daughters? I did something I never had done before: hugged Maggie to me, then dragged her on into the room, snatched the quilts out of Miss Wangero's hands and dumped them into Maggie's lap. a. The narrator loves Maggie's faith and is brave enough herself to challenge Dee's bossy, spoiled behavior. b. The narrator pities Maggie but respects Dee, who has left home to make something of herself. c. The narrator wishes that Dee would come visit her and Maggie more often. d. The narrator is afraid of Dee, who bosses both Maggie and the narrator.

A

17. In this sentence about a character in "Everyday Use," what does the context suggest is the meaning of the exocentric compound getup? Dee wore a colorful getup that swirled down to the ground and shone brightly in the sun. a. outfit b. energy c. hair wrap d. alarm clock

A

7. Which of these emotions would most likely cause a person to be cowering? a. fear or shame b. arrogance or pride c. joy or exhilaration d. anger or resentment

A

10. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B. Part A In "Everyday Use," what do the details indicate was the cause of Maggie's scars? a. She was burned in a house fire. b. She was injured in a car accident. c. She cut herself badly while making quilts. d. She was badly scratched in a childhood fight with Dee. Part B Which of these passages from "Everyday Use" best supports the answer to Part A? a. Have you ever seen a lame animal, perhaps a dog run over by some careless person rich enough to own a car, sidle up to someone who is ignorant enough to be kind to him? That is the way my Maggie walks. b. How long ago was it that the other house burned? Ten, twelve years? Sometimes I can still hear the flames and feel Maggie's arms sticking to me, her hair smoking and her dress falling off her in little black papery flakes. c. I used to think [Dee] hated Maggie, too. But that was before we raised the money, the church and me, to send her to Augusta to school. She used to read to us without pity; forcing words, lies, other folks' habits, whole lives upon us two, sitting trapped and ignorant underneath her voice. d. It was Grandma Dee and Big Dee who taught [Maggie] how to quilt herself. She stood there with her scarred hands hidden in the folds of her skirt.

AB

2. In "Everyday Use," how does Maggie look forward to Dee's visit? a. with anticipation and confidence b. with nervousness and awe c. with excitement and scorn d. with dread and despair

B

4. In "Everyday Use," why does Dee embrace an African language and choose a new name for herself? a. It is the only language she knows. b. She wants to be closer to her heritage. c. Her new name was her great-grandmother's name. d. She wants to forget everything about her own family.

B

6. What does the word furtive mean in the following sentence? Use context clues to help you. The boys were furtive, hiding in the bushes, when they came around looking for Dee. a. visible b. sneaky c. oppressive d. comfortable

B

1. Which of the following best describes the story "Everyday Use"? a. It is the story of a new marriage. b. It is the story of a house that burns down. c. It is the story of a young woman's return home. d. It is the story of a young man meeting his in-laws.

C

13. What do the details in this passage from "Everyday Use" reveal most clearly about the character of Maggie? It was Grandma Dee and Big Dee who taught [Maggie] how to quilt herself. She stood there with her scarred hands hidden in the folds of her skirt. She looked at her sister with something like fear but she wasn't mad at her. This was Maggie's portion. This was the way she knew God to work. a. Maggie is bitter toward her sister. b. Maggie has no feeling for the quilts. c. Maggie accepts the hardships that life has handed her. d. Maggie is a needy person who depends upon her mother and sister.

C

14. What do the details in this passage from "Everyday Use" reveal most clearly about the character of Dee (Wangero)? After dinner Dee (Wangero) went to the trunk at the foot of my bed and started rifling through it.... Out came Wangero with two quilts.... "Mama," Wangero said sweet as a bird. "Can I have these old quilts?" a. Dee has fond memories of her grandmother's quilts. b. Dee has come to steal the family's heirlooms. c. Dee brashly goes after what she wants. d. Dee respects her mother's privacy.

C

20. Read this example of dialect from "Everyday Use." "... I been saving 'em for long enough with nobody using 'em." Which of these sentences most accurately restates the example in formal English? a. "I have been saving him for a long time from situations in which other people take advantage of him." b. "I am keeping them safe for a long enough time so that nobody harms them." c. "I have been saving them for a long enough time with nobody using them." d. "I've been saving this here stuff for long enough without nobody using it."

C

5. Who gets to keep the quilts at the end of "Everyday Use"? a. Hakim-a-barber b. the narrator c. Maggie d. Dee

C

8. Which of these actions or events would most likely prompt a hangdog expression? a. winning a contest b. finishing a good book c. telling a friend that you lost her scarf d. getting a good report from the doctor

C

11. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, then Part B. Part A In "Everyday Use," why does Dee (Wangero) want the quilts made of scraps from her grandparents' old clothes? a. She greatly admires the relatives who made them. b. She has nostalgic memories of using the quilts in childhood. c. She wants to display them instead of using them as bedding. d. She is jealous of her sister and wants to deny Maggie her inheritance. Part B Which of these passages from "Everyday Use" best supports the answer to Part A? a. "No," said Wangero. "I don't want those. They are stitched around the borders by machine." "That'll make them last better," I said. b. "That's not the point," said Wangero. "These are all pieces of dresses Grandma used to wear." c. "The truth is," I said, "I promised to give them quilts to Maggie, for when she marries John Thomas." She gasped like a bee had stung her. "Maggie can't appreciate these quilts!" she said. d. "What would you do with them?" "Hang them," she said. As if that was the only thing you could do with quilts.

CD

12. What main points about Dee (Wangero) does this exchange from "Everyday Use" help to stress? Choose two options. "You just don't understand," she said, as Maggie and I came out to the car. "What don't I understand?" I wanted to know. "Your heritage," she said. And then she turned to Maggie, kissed her, and said, "You ought to try to make something of yourself, too, Maggie. It's really a new day for us. But from the way you and Mama still live you'd never know it." a. Only Dee properly understands her family's African-American heritage. b. Education has turned the once-sweet Dee into an unpleasant person. c. Dee's view of her heritage gives her feelings of superiority. d. Education is the key to Dee's happy, successful life. e. Dee is rather insensitive to the feelings of others.

CE

16. The compound words defined here all appear in "Everyday Use." Which of the words is an exocentric compound? a. backstage: the area behind the part of a stage that the audience can see b. eyelids: folds of flesh that cover the front of the eyeballs c. nightgown: dress-like garment worn at night d. dimwits: people who are not very clever

D

18. In this exchange from "Everyday Use," which of the following best qualifies as an example of dialect? "Maggie can't appreciate these quilts!" she said. "She'd probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use." "I reckon she would," I said. a. can't appreciate b. backward enough c. put them to everyday use d. I reckon she would

D

19. Which of these sentences from "Everyday Use" contains an example of Southern regionalism? a. In real life I am a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands. b. In the winter I wear flannel nightgowns to bed and overalls during the day. c. Impressed with her they worshiped the well-turned phrase, the cute shape, the scalding humor that erupted like bubbles in lye. d. Wangero, though, went on through the chitlins and corn bread, the greens and everything else.

D

9. What does the narrator of "Everyday Use" mean by saying that Dee would prefer her to have "skin like an uncooked barley pancake"? a. skin that is moist and smooth b. skin that is soft and sticky c. skin that is fresh smelling d. skin that is light in color

D

In "Everyday Use," why doesn't Dee bring her friends home? a. She has no friends. b. Her friends embarrass her. c. She does not like her family. d. She is ashamed of her poverty.

D