Mrs. Woronko
AP English
Name ________________________________
Date _________________
Short Story Test
Multiple Choice: Choose the answer that is the most correct and write the letter of
your answer on the line provided. (3 points each/ 45% of total grade)
Part I: “Everyday Use”
_____ 1. It can be inferred that Walker’s narrator in “Everyday Use” dreams a dream
“in which Dee and I are suddenly brought together on a TV program of this sort… There
I meet a smiling, gray, sporty man like Johnny Carson…Then we are on the stage and
Dee is embracing me with tears in her eyes. She pins on my dress a large orchid, even
though she has told me once that she thinks orchids are tacky flowers.”
to illustrate the mother’s
a. hope that she and Dee can one day reconcile and come to a mutual respect for one
another.
b. dismay that her daughter is so far removed from her family and its heritage.
c. ability to see the striking dichotomy between her daughters personalities.
d. acceptance of the fact that Dee is never going to return home and resume those
duties that are entrenched in her family’s heritage.
_____ 2. The principal contrast employed by the author in the story is between
a.
b.
c.
d.
past and present
wisdom and foolishness
celebrating heritage and rejecting heritage
glamour and practicality
_____ 3. The theme of the story is best described as
a.
b.
c.
d.
“One must stand up for the weak.”
“One can embrace culture through its everyday use.”
“Avoid vanity as though it is the root of all evil.”
“Love for one’s family is unfaltering.”
_____ 4. Read the following:
“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.”
Why does the narrator refer to Dee as “Miss Wangero” during this moment in the story?
a. She has taken sides and chosen Maggie as the one deserving of the quilt.
b. She realizes how permanently Dee has separated herself from her former heritage
by changing her name.
c. She is as an impartial observer who can clearly see the conflict between her
daughters.
d. She wants to show respect for Dee’s request to be called by her African name.
_____ 5. What is the significance of the title?
a. The quilt was meant for everyday use.
b. One’s heritage is meant for everyday use.
c. Dee will never appreciate her heritage for its everyday use.
d. One’s heritage only remains alive when it is a meaningful part of everyday life.
Part II: “A Worn Path”
_____
a.
b.
c.
d.
1. How is Phoenix’s journey symbolic?
It represents life’s journey.
It represents the struggles and journeys we must endure for those we love.
It represents the cycle of life from youth to old age.
It represents the moments left in the grandson’s life.
_____ 2. Why might Welty have chosen the name “Phoenix” for her protagonist?
a. Because her journey is unceasing, she is constantly “reborn” through her journey
like a phoenix from ashes.
b. She is as unstoppable as the immortal phoenix.
c. Much in the way the phoenix suffers through its painful death, Phoenix Jackson
suffers during her lengthy journey.
d. A phoenix can provide health and life to those near death and Phoenix Jackson is
attempting to do the same.
_____ 3. The point of view of the story is
a.
b.
c.
d.
First Person, Omniscient
First Person, Limited
Third Person, Limited Omniscient
Third Person, Innocent Eye
_____ 4. When the hunter says, “I know you old colored people! Wouldn’t miss going
to town to see Santa Claus!” the reader can infer
a.
b.
c.
d.
that the hunter considers Phoenix as inferior.
that the hunter wishes to aid Phoenix in her journey.
that the hunter cannot be bothered by the old woman.
that the hunter wonders if Phoenix is senile.
_____ 5. In our discussion of “A Worn Path” we learned that Welty does not consider
whether or not the grandson is alive to be of any importance to the overall meaning of the
story. What does Welty believe is of importance?
a. Phoenix represents the inequalities blacks suffered post-Emancipation.
b. Phoenix is an old woman who refuses to accept the fact that her grandson will
undoubtedly die.
c. Phoenix, for as long as she is able to walk and can hold to her purpose will
make the journey.
d. Phoenix’s struggle and journey are representative of everyone’s life journey.
Part III: “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place”
_____ 1. “This is a clean and pleasant café. It is well lighted. The light is very good and
also, now, there are shadows of the leaves.” What does the reiteration of the story’s titletheme-image signify?
a. It signifies the contrast between light and dark and comfort and loneliness.
b. It shows the older waiter’s understanding and sympathy for the old man’s
loneliness.
c. Both a and b
d. None of the above
_____ 2. Why might Hemingway choose to make his characters nameless?
a.
b.
c.
d.
It allows the reader to empathize with them.
It prohibits the reader from judging the characters superficially.
The characters can represent anyone; they are universal.
All of the above
_____ 3. Which of these contrasts is NOT present in the story:
a.
b.
c.
d.
light and dark
good and evil
youth and age
clean and dirty
_____ 4. “What did he fear? It was not fear or dread. It was a nothing that he knew too
well. It was all a nothing and a man was nothing too. It was only that and light was all it
needed and a certain cleanness and order. Some lived in it and never felt it but he knew it
all was nada y pues nada y nada y pues nada. Our nada whoa re in nada, nada be thy
name they kingdom nada thy will be nada in nada as it is in nada. Give us this nada our
daily nada and nada us our nada as we nada our nada and nada us not into nada but
deliver us from nada; pues nada. Hail nothing full of nothing, nothing is with thee. He
smiled and stood before a bar with a shining steam pressure coffee machine.”
The effect of this conversation the older waiter has with himself is:
a. to demonstrate the nihilistic view that man may have of his mortality as he
nears death.
b. to illustrate the old waiter’s feeling that belief in God still will not save him
from loneliness and death.
c. to show that the older waiter has come to understand how the old man feels.
d. to illustrate how callous and unconcerned the younger waiter is with his own
mortality.
_____ 5. “After all, he said to himself, it is probably only insomnia. Many must have it.”
What is the “insomnia” that many “must have”?
a.
b.
c.
d.
loneliness and fear of their own mortality
a fear of old age
the worry that comes with facing adulthood
a lack of empathy for others
TURN OVER: ESSAY IS ON THE NEXT PAGE.
Part IV: Essay
Stories often depict characters who are entrenched in ritual—daily routines, journeys,
religion. Such rituals can provide the character with a sense of comfort, but if the ritual
becomes too mundane, the character may desire change and feel despair. From the
stories we’ve read, contrast two characters based upon how they view the rituals in their
lives. Make sure that your essay is well organized, focused, relevant, and full of proper
content.
AVOID PLOT SUMMARY! Essay is worth 55 points or 55% of test grade.
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