Name: ________________________________________

Thank You Ma’am Check for Understanding

by Langston Hughes

Multiple Choice: Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

1. What happens when Roger tries to steal Mrs. Jones's purse in Thank You, Ma'am?
a. He changes his mind because he knows stealing is wrong.
b. He changes his mind because he is frightened by her large size.
c. The purse is so heavy that he loses his balance and falls.
d. He runs away but is caught by another person and brought back to Mrs. Jones.

2. What can you infer about Mrs. Jones's first reaction to Roger from this sentence in Thank You,
Ma’am?
“The large woman simply turned around and kicked him right square in his blue-jeaned
sitter.”
a. She is puzzled.
b. She is frightened.
c. She is angry.
d. She is deeply hurt.

3. Why does Roger go with Mrs. Jones to her apartment in the first place?
a. She sees him on the street and invites him to her house for dinner.
b. They have been friends for years and have not seen each other in a long time.
c. She promises to give him money for a pair of shoes if he has dinner with her.
d. She puts him in a half-nelson and drags him there against his will.

4. In Thank You, Ma'am, why is Roger scared, at first, in Mrs. Jones's home?
a. He is very hungry.
b. Mrs. Jones is a strong, large woman.
c. Mrs. Jones talks so fast that he cannot understand her.
d. He fears that Mrs. Jones will turn him over to the police.

5. In Thank You, Ma'am, why does Roger try to steal the purse?
a. to get money for food
b. to get back at Mrs. Jones for stealing from his father
c. to get money for blue suede shoes
d. to show he is tough

6. In Thank You, Ma'am, how does Mrs. Jones show she trusts Roger?
a. She makes him wash his face.
b. She makes sure neighbors keep their doors open.
c. She leaves her purse near him when she prepares food.
d. She tells him her full name.
7. According to Mrs. Jones in “Thank You, Ma'am,” what lesson has Roger not been taught?
a. why “early to bed and early to rise” is true
b. how to apologize
c. how to steal a purse without getting caught
d. the difference between right and wrong

8. In Thank You, Ma'am, why does Roger sit on the far side of the room when Mrs. Jones goes
behind the screen?
a. He is frightened that she is phoning the police and wants to see what she is doing.
b. He does not want to smell the food she is cooking because it will make his stomach
growl.
c. He wants her to see that he is not taking anything from her purse.
d. He wants to be where she cannot see him so that he can take money from her purse.

9. The author of Thank You, Ma’am calls Mrs. Jones “a large woman.” What might large apply to
besides her size?
a. her large amount of money
b. her large heart
c. her large number of friends
d. her large temper

10. What does Mrs. Jones imply to Roger with the following statement?
“And next time, do not make the mistake of latching onto my pocketbook nor nobody else’s –
because shoes got by devilish ways will burn your feet.”
a. Mrs. Jones implies that if Rogers wears shoes that were stolen, he could burst into
flames.
b. Mrs. Jones implies that Roger would not enjoy wearing the shoes because they would
make him feel guilty.
c. Mrs. Jones implies that Roger is behaving like the devil, and therefore does not deserve
the shoes.
d. There is no implication; Mrs. Jones is old and crazy.

11. In Thank You Ma’am, Mrs. Jones says she would have given Roger money for shoes if he had
simply asked. Roger pauses for a long time. What can you infer from that pause?
a. He is surprised, touched, and confused by her offer
b. He is growing more suspicious of Mrs. Jones.
c. He is not used to washing his face, so he is taking his time.
d. He is plotting ways to get more money from Mrs. Jones.

12. The conflict of individual vs. individual in the story specifically refers to:
a. Roger and his conscience
b. Mrs. Jones and her past.
c. Mrs. Jones and Roger
d. Roger and his choices.
13. What type of conflict is the following excerpt from the story?
“Then, Roger, you go to that sink and wash your face,” said the woman, whereupon she
turned him loose – at last. Roger looked at the door – looked at the woman – looked at the door –
and went to the sink.”
a. individual vs. society
b. individual vs. self
c. individual vs. man
d. individual vs. nature

14. Which statement is a main theme of Thank You, Ma’am?

a. Lonely, older people seek company even from those who harm them.
b. Lessons can be learned through kindness and goodwill.
c. If you are going to steal, do not get caught.
d. City streets are full of dangers for young and old alike.

15. In Thank You Ma’am, how does Mrs. Jones’s admission that she did bad things when she was
young reveal a theme of the story?
a. She brags about her youthful adventures so that Roger will be humble in her presence.
b. She is older and lonely and needs to confide in someone younger.
c. She wants to be the adult whom Roger trusts to understand and help him.
d. She wants to prove to Roger that all teenagers and deliquents.

16. What did the author intend to convey about setting through the following statements:
“In another corner of the room behind a screen was a gas plate and an icebox.”
“Then she cut him a half of her ten-cent cake.”
“Now, here, take this ten dollars and buy yourself some blue suede shoes.”
a. The time period.
b. The mood of the main character.
c. The social situation of the main character.
d. The high cost of blue suede shoes.

17. Mrs. Jones is a ___________ character based on the statements below:

“The woman said, “You ought to be my son. I would teach you right from wrong. Least I can do
right now is to wash your face. Are you hungry?”

“Well, I wasn’t going to say that.” Pause. Silence. “I have done things, too, which I would not tell
you, son—neither tell God, if he didn’t already know. So you set down while I fix us something to
eat. You might run that comb through your hair so you will look presentable.”

a. Static
b. Dynamic
18. Roger is a ___________ character based on the statements below:

“….a boy ran up behind her and tried to snatch her purse.”

“The boy wanted to say something else other than, “Thank you, ma’am” to Mrs. Luella Bates
Washington Jones, but although his lips moved, he couldn’t even say that as he turned at the
foot of the barren stoop and looked back at the large woman in the door.”

a. Static
b. Dynamic

19. “The large woman simply turned around and kicked him right-square in his blue-
jeaned sitter. Then she reached down, picked the boy up by his shirt front, and shook
him until his teeth rattled.”

Using the text support above identify a trait and characterization method for Mrs.
Jones. Highlight one trait and one method.

TRAIT METHOD
Mrs. Jones is kind. SPEECH
Mrs. Jones is strong. THOUGHTS
Mrs. Jones is weak. EFFECT ON OTHERS
Mrs. Jones is easily frightened. ACTIONS
Mrs. Jones is not bothered by anything. LOOKS

20. “Um-hum! And your face is dirty. I got a great mind to wash your face for you. Ain’t
you got nobody home to tell you to wash your face?”

21. “But you put yourself in contact with me,” said the woman. “If you think that that contact is
not going to last awhile, you got another thought coming. When I get through with you, sir,
you are going to remember Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones.”

Using the text support above identify a trait and characterization method for Mrs.
Jones. Highlight one trait and one method.

TRAIT METHOD
She respects whomever she speaks to. SPEECH
She is a conceited showoff. THOUGHTS
She is a strong-minded person. EFFECT ON OTHERS
She intends to do physical harm to Roger. ACTIONS
She is calm and quiet. LOOKS
22. “Your face is dirty. I got a great mind to wash your face for you. Ain't you got nobody home
to tell you to wash your face?”
“No'm,” said the boy.

Using the text support above identify a trait and characterization method for Roger.
Highlight one trait and one method.

TRAIT METHOD
He is shy. SPEECH
He is neglected at home. THOUGHTS
He has trouble telling the truth. EFFECT ON OTHERS
He has a good sense of humor. ACTIONS
He is clean and well dressed. LOOKS

23. “But the boy took care to sit on the far side of the room where he thought she could
easily see him out of the corner other eye, if she wanted to.”

Using the text support above identify a trait and characterization method for Roger.
Highlight one trait and one method.

TRAIT METHOD
He is a bully. SPEECH
He is doesn’t care what Mrs. Jones thinks of him. THOUGHTS
He wants Mrs. Jones to trust him. EFFECT ON OTHERS
He is angry. ACTIONS
He is neglected. LOOKS

24. “He looked as if he were fourteen or fifteen, frail and willow-wild, in tennis shoes and
blue jeans.”

This is an example of:

a. Direct Characterization
b. Indirect Characterization

25. “She was a large woman with a large purse that had everything in it but hammer and
nails”

This is an example of:

a. Simile
b. Personification
c. Hyperbole