40 pages • 1 hour read
Thank You, M'am
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Quiz
Reading Check, Multiple Choice & Short Answer Quizzes
Reading Check questions are designed for in-class review on key plot points or for quick verbal or written assessments. Multiple Choice and Short Answer Quizzes create ideal summative assessments, and collectively function to convey a sense of the work’s tone and themes.
Reading Check
1. What time of day does the story take place?
2. Why does Roger fall over when he tries to grab Mrs. Jones’s purse?
3. What is Mrs. Jones’s first response when Roger tries to steal from her?
4. Approximately how old is Roger?
5. Where does Mrs. Jones take Roger?
6. What does Roger say he wanted Mrs. Jones’s money for?
7. What do Roger and Mrs. Jones talk about as they eat?
8. What does Mrs. Jones give Roger before he leaves?
Multiple Choice
1. In the sentence, “The large woman simply turned around and kicked him right square in his blue-jeaned sitter” (Paragraph 1), which word most strongly suggests Mrs. Jones’s level-headedness?
A) large
B) simply
C) turned
D) kicked
2. How does Roger respond the first time Mrs. Jones asks why he tried to steal from her?
A) He downplays his responsibility.
B) He invents a story.
C) He stays defiantly silent.
D) He plays to Mrs. Jones’s sympathy.
3. Which of the following best describes Roger’s initial demeanor towards Mrs. Jones?
A) fearful
B) remorseful
C) frustrated
D) embarrassed
4. The door to Mrs. Jones’s apartment symbolizes which of the following?
A) confinement
B) hospitality
C) neglect
D) agency
5. Roger’s surprise when Mrs. Jones says he “could of asked” her for money most strongly implies which of the following (Paragraph 32)?
A) He suspects she is lying or joking.
B) He realizes she has tried to steal too.
C) He does not expect much from life or others.
D) He would not lend anyone money himself.
6. Roger most likely volunteers to go to the store for which of the following reasons?
A) He hopes to escape from Mrs. Jones.
B) He wants to live up to Mrs. Jones’s expectations.
C) He worries that Mrs. Jones isn’t able to go herself.
D) He is hungry and wants to buy more food.
7. Which of the following passages evokes an America that contrasts with that of the rest of the story?
A) “When she got to her door, she dragged the boy inside, down a hall, and into a large kitchenette-furnished room at the rear of the house” (Paragraph 22).
B) “The boy could hear other roomers laughing and talking in the large house” (Paragraph 22).
C) “She heated some lima beans and ham she had in the icebox, made the cocoa, and set the table” (Paragraph 42).
D) “She told him about her job in a hotel beauty shop that stayed open late […] and how all kinds of women came in and out, blondes, red-heads, and Spanish” (Paragraph 42).
Short-Answer Response
Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How does the phrase “blue-jeaned sitter” contribute to the story’s tone or setting (Paragraph 1)?
2. What does Mrs. Jones seem to infer from Roger’s unwashed face?
3. Why does Mrs. Jones emphasize that Roger “put [himself] in contact with [her]” (Paragraph 21)?
4. What does Mrs. Jones guess Roger wanted money for? What did he actually want the money for, and why is this significant?
5. What does Mrs. Jones imply about her reasons for showing leniency to Roger?
6. How does Roger respond to Mrs. Jones leaving her purse unattended, and why?
7. How do Roger and Mrs. Jones act during their dinner with one another? What does this suggest about how Mrs. Jones hopes to “teach [Roger] right from wrong” (Paragraph 17)?
Quizzes – Answer Key
Reading Check
1. night (specifically, eleven o’clock)
2. The purse’s strap breaks and he loses his balance.
3. She kicks him.
4. 14 or 15
5. to her apartment
6. to buy a pair of blue suede shoes
7. her work as a beautician
8. $10
Multiple Choice
1. B (Paragraph 1)
2. A (Paragraph 6)
3. A (Paragraphs 4-22)
4. D (Paragraphs 22-34)
5. C (Paragraph 32)
6. B (Paragraph 39)
7. D (Paragraph 42)
Short-Answer Response
1. Since “sitter” is slang for “buttocks,” it establishes an informal tone that reflects the story’s working-class setting and characters.
2. Noting that Roger hasn’t washed his face, Mrs. Jones asks whether there’s anyone at his home to tell him to tidy up; if there isn’t, this suggests that Roger’s parents or caretakers are neglecting him (intentionally or otherwise).
3. Mrs. Jones’s remark emphasizes the importance of personal responsibility: Roger chose to approach her and now must accept the consequences of that choice.
4. Mrs. Jones thinks Roger might have stolen the money to buy food, but Roger admits he wanted a pair of blue suede shoes. The latter isn’t a necessity, so the fact that Roger (who in fact hasn’t eaten) would prioritize it over food highlights the importance of aspirations beyond physical survival.
5. Mrs. Jones empathizes not only with Bruno’s desire for “things [he] could not get” but also with his actions (Paragraph 35); she remarks, “I have done things, too, which I would not tell you” (Paragraph 37), implying that she once resorted to similarly questionable means of achieving her dreams.
6. Roger moves into Mrs. Jones’s line of sight to prove that he is trustworthy.
7. Roger and Mrs. Jones share a polite dinner and conversation; Mrs. Jones sets the table and talks about her work, offering Roger a glimpse into a different world rather than dwelling on his home life. Like Mrs. Jones’s insistence that Roger clean himself up, the dinner provides Roger with an image to live up to.
Unlock all 40 pages of this Study GuidePlus, gain access to 8,800+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features:
Related Titles
By Langston Hughes
