Name:



|Name:       |Date:       |

[pic] “Mother to Son”; “To James”

Langston Hughes; Frank Horne

First Read: Comprehension

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

      1. To what does the speaker in “Mother to Son” compare her life experiences?

|a. |to a bare floor |

|b. |to a crystal staircase |

|c. |to a dark passageway |

|d. |to a wooden staircase |

      2. How has the speaker in “Mother to Son” responded to her life experiences?

|a. |with an intense religious faith |

|b. |with a hope for a happier future |

|c. |with a determination to keep going |

|d. |with an appreciation for what she has |

     3. In “Mother to Son,” what lesson about life is the mother trying to teach her son?

|a. |Do not envy the people who have an easy path in life. |

|b. |If you never give up, you will gain whatever you want in life. |

|c. |No matter how hard you try, you will still not reach your goals. |

|d. |Your life may be difficult, but never give up striving for your goals. |

      4. Which statement best describes the speaker in “To James”?

|a. |a family member who has taught James how to race |

|b. |a friend James’s age who competes with James in races |

|c. |a friend who knows less than James does about running races |

|d. |a family member who wishes that he could race against James |

|Name:       |Date:       |

      5. Which statement best expresses the advice offered by the speaker in “To James”?

|a. |Set only one goal in life and ignore everything else. |

|b. |Set goals in life, but do not forget to have fun. |

|c. |Life is a race: You must focus and persist to win. |

|d. |Life is a race: With luck, you will always win. |

Close Read: Concept Vocabulary

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

      6. If an athlete flung herself into a race, which of the following would she most likely have done?

|a. |tripped when leaving the starting line |

|b. |launched her body forward |

|c. |advanced slowly in fear |

|d. |started at a steady pace |

      7. What is most likely to happen to an object that is catapulted into the air?

|a. |The object will float like a balloon. |

|b. |The object will break into small pieces. |

|c. |The object will drop quickly to the ground. |

|d. |The object will move forward with great force. |

      8. Suppose that a spectator at a race lurched as he watched the runners move toward the finish line. Which sentence would most clearly describe the spectator’s action?

|a. |He gave a loud, encouraging cheer. |

|b. |He swayed happily from side to side. |

|c. |He frowned to show his disappointment. |

|d. |He moved forward suddenly and quickly. |

|Name:       |Date:       |

Close Read: Analyze the Text

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

      9. Read the following lines from “Mother to Son.”

But all the time

I’se been a-climbin’ on,

And reachin’ landin’s,

And turnin’ corners,

And sometimes goin’ in the dark

Where there ain’t been no light. (lines 8–13)

What do these details reveal most clearly about the mother? Choose two

options.

|a. |She has often wanted to give up her goals. |

|b. |She has sometimes failed and turned back. |

|c. |She has appreciated help given by other people. |

|d. |She has been realistic about the challenges in her life. |

|e. |She has always been confident about reaching her goals. |

|f. |She has moved forward even when the future has been unclear. |

10. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

      Part A In “Mother to Son,” what is the mother’s greatest fear for her son?

|a. |She fears that he will never have an easy life. |

|b. |She fears that hardships will make him give up. |

|c. |She fears that he might be injured or killed. |

|d. |She fears that lack of knowledge will hold him back. |

      Part B Which quotation from “Mother to Son” best supports the answer to

Part A?

|a. |And sometimes goin’ in the dark / Where there ain’t been no light. |

| |(lines 12–13) |

|b. |Don’t you set down on the steps / ’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard. |

| |(lines 15–16) |

|c. |For I’se still goin’, honey, / I’se still climbin’…. (lines 18–19) |

|d. |And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair. (line 20) |

|Name:       |Date:       |

11. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

      Part A Which statement best describes the speaker’s point of view in “To James”?

|a. |The speaker believes that running races is good preparation for achieving goals in life. |

|b. |The speaker believes that athletic skill is the most important quality for a person to have in life. |

|c. |The speaker believes that the success of a runner depends completely on the quality of the coach. |

|d. |The speaker believes that winning races will make a runner successful in all areas of life. |

      Part B Which quotation from “To James” best supports the answer to Part A?

|a. |Live / As I have taught you / To run, Boy— / … With all the power / That is in you (lines 29–38) |

|b. |Look straight ahead / To the finish line (lines 39–40) |

|c. |Run straight / Run high / Run hard (lines 42–44) |

|d. |And finish / With an ecstatic burst / That carries you / …To victory…. (lines 46–51) |

      12. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then

Part B.

      Part A Which statement best explains why the speaker in “To James” tells the boy about how he feels when watching him race?

|a. |The speaker wants the boy to pay more attention to him. |

|b. |The speaker wants to correct mistakes the boy made in a recent race. |

|c. |The speaker wants the boy to know how strongly he supports the young runner. |

|d. |The speaker wants to remind the boy that, as an adult, he is a more skillful runner. |

      Part B Which quotation from “To James” best supports the answer to Part A?

|a. |Do you remember / How you won / That last race … ? (lines 1–3) |

|b. |Don’t you think / I lurched with you / Out of those starting holes … ? |

| |(lines 12–14) |

|c. |Dig your starting holes / Deep and firm (lines 33–34) |

|d. |Run straight / Run high / Run hard (lines 42–44) |

|Name:       |Date:       |

      13. In “Mother to Son,” poet Langston Hughes has the mother use an old-fashioned African American dialect, or way of speaking. What is the most likely effect of that choice?

|a. |It makes the mother’s words easier to understand. |

|b. |It reveals the bond between the mother and her son. |

|c. |It makes the mother realistic and believable to readers. |

|d. |It lets readers know that the mother’s life would be different today. |

      14. The poet Frank Horne wrote “To James” as a series of very short lines. What is the most likely effect of that choice?

|a. |The very short lines create more chances for repetition. |

|b. |The very short lines make the poem easier to understand. |

|c. |The very short lines suggest the rhythm and excitement of a race. |

|d. |The very short lines show that two people are talking to each other. |

Close Read: Analyze Craft and Structure

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

      15. At both the beginning and the end of “Mother to Son,” the mother says, “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.” What does the crystal stair most clearly symbolize for the mother? Choose two options.

|a. |It is an easy life of wealth and luxury. |

|b. |It is an unsafe path to follow to reach one’s goals. |

|c. |It is a smooth, clear path to achieving one’s goals. |

|d. |It is a life of selfishness and not caring about others. |

|e. |It is a life of dedication to helping others less fortunate. |

|f. |It is a life in which a person must be careful not to slip and fall. |

|Name:       |Date:       |

      16. In “Mother to Son,” the mother describes a wooden staircase in these words.

It’s had tacks in it,

And splinters,

And boards torn up…. (lines 3–5)

What do the tacks, splinters, and torn-up boards most likely symbolize in the poem?

|a. |problems that the son has caused his mother |

|b. |obstacles that threatened to hold the mother back |

|c. |weaknesses that are common in wooden staircases |

|d. |challenges that the mother’s lack of courage has caused her |

Language Development: Word Study

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

      17. In “To James” the speaker remembers how James “flew into the stretch” (line 19). What does flew suggest that run, a synonym, does not suggest as clearly?

|a. |Flew suggests that James was having his best race ever. |

|b. |Flew suggests that James was ahead of the other runners. |

|c. |Flew suggests that James was moving especially quickly. |

|d. |Flew suggests that James was stumbling through the race. |

      18. Read these lines from “To James.”

Did not my shout

Tell of the

Triumphant ecstasy

Of victory … ? (lines 25–28)

Which of these synonyms for shout has the most clearly positive connotation of joy?

|a. |cry |

|b. |yell |

|c. |cheer |

|d. |shriek |

Language Development: Author’s Style

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

      19. Which of the following most clearly shows Langston Hughes’s use of repetition in “Mother to Son”?

|a. |It’s had tacks in it, / And splinters, / And boards torn up.… (lines 3–5) |

|b. |And places with no carpet on the floor— / Bare. (lines 6–7) |

|c. |But all the time / I’se been a-climbin’ on, / And reachin’ landin’s, / And turnin’ corners…. (lines 8–11) |

|d. |So boy, don’t you turn back. / Don’t you set down on the steps / ’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard. / |

| |Don’t you fall now…. (lines 14–17) |

      20. Frank Horne uses repetition in “To James,” as in this example.

Think only of the goal

Run straight

Run high

Run hard (lines 41–44)

What does the repetition of run most clearly emphasize?

|a. |all of the runners’ desire to win the race |

|b. |the speaker’s hope that James will do his best |

|c. |James’s hope that he will beat the other runners |

|d. |the speaker’s excitement about watching the race |

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