Name:______Date:______

ELA 8 Period:______

“Thank You, M'am” – Reading Comprehension

Multiple Choice

Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

____1.Which words best describe Mrs. Jones?

a. / meek and shy / c. / tough and ruthless
b. / foolish and trusting / d. / wise and kind

____2.Which of the following terms best describes Mrs. Jones’s residence?

a. / Large apartment / c. / Quiet suburban home
b. / Noisy rooming house / d. / Exclusive penthouse

____3.What will Roger probably do as a result of his encounter with Mrs. Jones?

a. / Ask her for a job. / c. / Try to get revenge.
b. / Stop purse-snatching. / d. / Buy something other than shoes.

____4.By the end of the story, Roger seems to want Mrs. Jones to —

a. / trust him / c. / release him
b. / punish him / d. / take care of him

____5.How is Roger’s attempt to steal Mrs. Jones’s pocketbook thwarted?

a. / Mrs. Jones uses her knowledge of martial arts to trip him.
b. / The police stop him after he has grabbed the purse.
c. / The combined weight of the purse and his body throws him off balance.
d. / Mrs. Jones sees what he is about to do and talks him out of it.

____6.Readers can conclude that Mrs. Jones —

a. / is able to forgive Roger
b. / wants to adopt Roger
c. / thinks Roger should earn the money for shoes
d. / wants Roger to visit her often

____7.After Mrs. Jones brings Roger home, she —

a. / watches him suspiciously, as if he were a thief
b. / disciplines him as if he were her own child
c. / treats him cruelly, as if he were her enemy
d. / coddles him, as if he were a helpless puppy

____8.At the end of the story, —

a. / Roger steals Mrs. Jones’s dinner / c. / Mrs. Jones keeps Roger prisoner
b. / Roger offers to repay Mrs. Jones / d. / Mrs. Jones wishes Roger good-night

____9.To show that she does not expect Roger to rob her again, Mrs. Jones —

a. / turns her back on him while she cooks
b. / tells him he shouldn’t have snatched her purse
c. / asks if there is anyone at his house to feed him
d. / asks him to go to the store

____10.Mrs. Jones wants Roger to learn how to —

a. / trust people / c. / behave himself
b. / get a job / d. / be tough

Literary Focus

The questions below refer to the selection “Thank You, M’am.”

____11.A character’s traits are the —

a. / words the character says
b. / way the character treats others
c. / things that make the character an individual
d. / words that the authors uses to describe the character

____12.Mrs. Jones says, “I have done things, too, which I would not tell you, son.” This statement most likely means that Mrs. Jones —

a. / is lying about her past / c. / once stole something
b. / is a private person / d. / has held a variety of jobs

____13.“When I get through with you, sir, you are going to remember Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones,” Mrs. Jones says. From this announcement you can see that Mrs. Jones —

a. / has a powerful personality / c. / looks up to Roger
b. / is courteous / d. / is afraid of Roger

____14.By the end of the story, you know that Roger —

a. / has a criminal mind / c. / thinks the world owes him something
b. / is a quiet, polite boy at heart / d. / is ambitious

Short Answer

15.When Roger asks, “You gonna take me to jail?” Mrs. Jones replies, “Not with that face, I would not take you nowhere.” What does Mrs. Jones’s response tell you about her? Support your inferences by citing other things she says and does.

Thank You, M'am

Answer Section

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1.ANS:DPTS:1OBJ:9.1.4.1 (characterization)

2.ANS:BPTS:1OBJ:9.1.3 (setting and mood/atmosphere)

3.ANS:BPTS:1OBJ:9.2.15 (making predictions)

4.ANS:APTS:1OBJ:9.2.1.11 (making inferences)

5.ANS:CPTS:1OBJ:9.1.1 (plot)

6.ANS:APTS:1OBJ:9.2.1.4 (drawing conclusions)

7.ANS:BPTS:1OBJ:9.1.1 (plot)

8.ANS:DPTS:1OBJ:9.1.1 (plot)

9.ANS:APTS:1OBJ:9.1.1 (plot)

10.ANS:CPTS:1OBJ:9.1.1 (plot)

11.ANS:CPTS:1OBJ:9.1.4.1 (characterization)

12.ANS:CPTS:1OBJ:9.2.1.11 (making inferences)

13.ANS:APTS:1

OBJ:9.1.4.2 (character interactions) | 9.2.1.11 (making inferences)

14.ANS:BPTS:1OBJ:9.1.1 (plot)

SHORT ANSWER

15.ANS:

Students’ responses will vary. A sample response follows:

The statement shows that Mrs. Jones is a strong individual, used to making her own decisions and obeying her own values, which are highly moral even if they are not always conventional. She has made up her own mind about Roger’s situation and has decided that she can rehabilitate him better than the police can. Her belief in her own ability is shown in the way she brings Roger into her home and speaks as an adult in charge, commanding him to wash his face, questioning him about his activities, and ultimately giving him good advice. She does these things from a sense of shared human need rather than from a sense of superiority, as is shown in her confession that she had in the past done things she was now ashamed of. Additionally, her comment about Roger’s face being too dirty to take to the police shows that she has a sense of humor.

PTS:1OBJ:9.1.4.2 (character interactions) | 9.2.1.11 (making inferences)