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 can see 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 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.