Chapter --7

Thank You Ma'am

Langston Hughes

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MCQ


1. Roger was a teenager who needed

a) financial support

b) care and affection  ✔

c) education

d) medical treatment


2. The boy barely managed to say to Mrs. Luella Jones

a) Thank you ma'am

b) Thank God

c) Thank you ✔

d) Good cheers


3. The boy wanted to thank the woman for

a) being nice to him

b) understanding him and being kind towards him

c) not taking him to the police

d) making him realize that the path he was taking was not  the right one ✔


4. The boy could hardly say more than 'Thank You Ma'am' because

a) he did not see the lady 

b) he was very afraid

c) he door was shut ✔

d) he never saw the lady again


5. The lady offered the boy

a) ten dollars ✔ 

b) eight dollars

c) five dollars

d) one dollar


6. The last word that the boy could manage to say was

a) thank you madam

b) thanks

c) thank you ma'am

d) thank you  ✔


7. After this incident the boy met the lady

a) once

b) never  ✔

c) twice

d) many times


 8. Mrs. Jones is

a) rich

b) poor ✔

c) well to do

d) neither rich nor poor


9. Mrs. Luella Bates W. Jones is a lady whose origin is

a) Indian

b) mulatto

c) Red Indian

d) Fricano-American  ✔



10. Mrs. Jones' attitude towards Roger was

a) teacher-like

b) mother-like ✔

c) police

d) indifferent


11. The boy proposed to go to a store to buy

a) beans

b) ham

c) milk ✔

d) cake


12. The lady picked up the boy from the street by holding his

a) trousers

b) shirt front

c) wrist ✔

d) arm


13. While the lady was talking with the boy two or three people

a) passed

b) turned to look

c) stopped

d) all of the above ✔


14. The lady wanted to give the boy

a) a  wash ✔

b) a talk

c) a thrashing

d) some money


15. The age of the boy (Roger) was

a) 12 or 13 yrs

b) 13 or 14 yrs

c) 14 or 15 yrs  ✔

d) 15 or 16 yrs


16. The boy had on his feet

a)  tennis shoes ✔

b) suede shoes

c) military shoes

d) slippers


17. The physique of the boy was

a)  strong

b) large

c) robust

d) frail ✔


18. The cooler of the jeans that the boy was wearing was

a) blue ✔

b) white

c) black

d) green


19. As the lady was almost dragging the boy along with her, the boy became

a) happy

b) angry

c) assured

d) frightened  ✔


20. The boy begged the lady to

a) give him food

b) give him money

c) turn him loose ✔

d) give him clothes

 

Short Question Answer

 

1. What is suggested in the sentence-"I have done things, too, which I would not tell you, son"?

 

Ans. Mrs. Jones hinted at some not-so-pleasant incidents of her past life or misdeeds committed by her earlier, which she did not want to reveal

 

2. "... if he didn't already know."- Who is referred to here as 'he'? ['He'

Ans. God is referred to here as 'he' ['He'

 

3. How does the past of Mrs. Jones resemble the present of Roger's?

Ans. Like Roger, Mrs. Jones in her youth had wanted things she could not get and so her past resembled Roger's present.

 

4. What did the icebox in 'Thank You Ma'am' contain? [Thank You Ma'am'

Ans. The ice box in 'Thank You Ma'am' contained lima beans and ham. [Thank You Ma'am'-

 

5. Where did Mrs. Jones' purse drop?

Ans. Mrs. Jones' purse dropped on her day-bed.

 

6. What were there behind the screen of Mrs. Jones's room?

Ans. There was a mini kitchen with a gas plate and an icebox behind the screen.

 

7. Why did Mrs. Jones want the boy to comb his hair?

Ans. Mrs. Jones wanted the boy to comb his hair so that he would look good and presentable.

 

8. Why didn't the boy want to be mistrusted?

Ans. The boy did not want to be mistrusted because he felt that Mrs. Jones now trusted him and he gradually started understanding  the value of keeping one's trust and appreciating (one's love.

 

9. What did Mrs. Jones give the boy to eat?

Ans. Mrs. Jones gave the boy some lima beans, ham, cocoa and later, half of a ten-cent cake to eat.

 

10. What was the profession of Mrs. Jones?

Ans. Mrs. Jones worked in a hotel beauty-shop.

 

11. Why did Roger sit in a place where he could be seen by the lady?

Ans. Roger sat in a place where he could be seen by the lady because he did not want to be mistrusted now.

 

12. How did Roger try to help Mrs. Jones?

Ans. Roger offered to go to the store to get some milk or something that Mrs. Jones might want.

 

13. What did Mrs. Bates prepare for supper?

Ans. Mrs. Bates prepared lima beans, ham and cocoa.

 

14. Why did not Mrs. Jones ask Roger any question regarding his personal life?

Ans. Mrs. Jones did not ask Roger any question regarding his personal life because she did not want to embarrass him.

 

15. What was the price of the cake the boy was given a part of in 'Thank You Ma'am'? [Thank You Ma'am'

Ans. The price of the cake, a half of which was given to the boy, was ten cents.

 

16. What did Mrs. Jones give Roger at the end of the dinner?

Ans. Mrs. Jones gave Roger a half of her ten-cent cake at the end of the dinner.

 

17. What did Luella Bates Washington Jones talk about while eating?

Ans. While eating, Luella Bates Washington Jones talked about her job in the hotel beauty-shop, what the work was like and how all kinds of women-blondes, redheads and Spanish-came in and out.

 

18. Where did Mrs. Bates work?

Ans. Mrs. Bates worked at a hotel beauty-shop.

 

20. Where did Luella take the boy in 'Thank You Ma'am'?

Ans. Luella took the boy to her large kitchenette-furnished room.

 

Long Question Answer


1. How did the lady catch hold of the boy while he was attempting to snatch her purse?

 

AnMrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, an elderly character in 'Thank You Ma'am, a famous short story by Langston Hughes, was returning home from her daily work late at night. She worked in a hotel beauty-shop that remained open till almost eleven at night. As she was walking alone, a boy ran up behind her and tried to snatch her purse. But he lost his balance while snatching because of the combined weight of himself and the purse. He fell on the pavement  Mrs. Jones quickly moved forward to the boy and grabbed him by his shirt so that he couldn't escape . She shook him until his teeth rattled.

 

2. "I'm very sorry, lady, I'm sorry"-Who is the speaker? Was the speaker really sorry? When was the speaker a changed person?

 

Ans. The speaker is a frail boy of fourteen or fifteen, named Roger, who tried to snatch the purse of an elderly lady in Langston Hughes' short story, 'Thank You Ma'am.

 

• The boy had been caught by the lady. She was not ready to loosen her grip lest he would escape. The boy, therefore, said that he was sorry so that he may be released. But the boy spoke more out of fear than from real regret. He was afraid that the lady might put him in jail. • Roger was transformed into a new person when he

 

3. "I would teach you right from wrong." Who said this, to whom and when? How did the speaker transform the person spoken to here?

 

Ans. In Langston Hughes' short story, 'Thank You Ma'am, Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones said this to Roger. Mrs. Jones told him so when she almost dragged him towards her house after she had caught him trying to snatch her purse.

 

• Gradually Mrs. Jones transformed the boy by giving him motherly love. She asked the boy to wash his face and offered a clean towel. The lady said that she herself had to suffer a lot in her youth. Her candid confession gave the boy confidence. He became familiar with the lady and no longer wanted to flee. She shared her personal experiences and became quite easy with him. Then she advised the boy not to commit such a misdeed again. Finally, she gave him ten dollars to buy the coveted blue suede shoes. Thus the lady reformed Roger by playing the role of a perfect friend and guide.

 

4. "I wanted a pair of … shoes," What reply did the speaker get and how did he react?

 

Ans. The young boy Roger informed Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones that he wanted to buy a pair of blue suede shoes. He tried to snatch the pocketbook of Mrs. Jones to get money to fulfil his desire. The speaker, Roger, got a strange answer from Mrs. Jones. She said that instead of snatching, he could have asked for the money.

 

• The boy was amazed hearing the answer. He was so astonished  that he forgot to dry his face for a moment. He could not say anything and wondered what to do next. As a result, there was a long pause.

realized the benevolence of the lady. Even though he had committed  a crime, the lady was kind and sympathetic to him. She gave him food, money to buy his coveted shoes and advised him never to follow the wrong path. Most importantly, she trusted him. Roger was completely changed by her motherly affection and support.

 

 

5. "I have done things, too, which I could not tell you, son- neither tell God..." -Who says this and to whom? What do you infer about the speaker from these words? What was the possible effect of these words on the person spoken to?

 

Ans. Mrs. Jones says this to Roger.

• By saying these words, Mrs. Jones wants to disclose the past history of her own life. Maybe she did some bad things when she was younger. These words of Mrs. Jones make it clear that she could understand Roger's situation as she had once fallen prey to temptation. She is ashamed of this. Yet she tells Roger these words because she wants Roger to know that she had similar experience, and like her he can also choose the path of dignity and honour. It also shows that she is kind and merciful.

 

• When Roger knows that the woman's history was similar to his, he understands that she would not be so cruel to him. He realizes that he can also transform himself following her path.

 

 

6. Why did not Roger run away later although he had the opportunity to do so?

 

Or, Why did not Roger run away later although he found the door open?

 

Ans. Roger was caught by Mrs. Jones. He was pleading for freedom and trying to escape. Mrs. jones did not give him the opportunity. She dragged him home instead of taking reaching her home, released him and told him to wash his face. Roger had reliance to run away. But he decided to walk to the sink. Later, when Mrs. Jones was busy preparing dinner he had another chance to run away with her purse. Mrs. Jones had left her purse on her bed and kept the door Jones open. He could run away but he did not do it because he had Mrs. Jones' love, kindness and trust. He was transformed. He did not want to be mistrusted now So he did not run away.

 

8. "The woman did not watch the boy to see if he was going to run now"-Why did the woman not watch the boy any more?

 

Ans. In Langston Hughes' short story 'Thank You Ma'am, Mrs. Jones realised that poverty had prompted Roger to steal. So she took him home and did not inform the police. She could understand that he was ashamed of his misdeed. She did not want to mistrust him any more. She felt that Roger would never break her trust. She left her purse with him when she went to cook food for them. This was a new experience for Roger. Probably for the first time, a man or a woman had put so much faith in him. The young boy did not want to be mistrusted any more. Mrs. Jones could easily read the thought process of the boy, and that is why she did not watch him while cooking.

 

9. What were the things that Mrs. Jones wanted from Roger? What did Roger want?

 

Ans. In the course of the short story, 'Thank You Ma'am' Mrs. Jones expressed her wishes from time to time. Firstly, she wanted to take Roger to her home. When asked by the boy if she would put him in jail, the lady said that she wanted to wash his face. Before going to cook food for themselves, the lady wanted the boy to comb his hair so that he would look presentable. She also wanted him to take some more food. At the end, Mrs. Jones wanted Roger to behave properly and never to snatch anyone's

purse. She wanted him to remain a virtuous character for the rest of his life.

 

• Roger initially wanted to escape from the lady and asked her to set him loose. Later, he wanted to flee from the lady's room. But gradually he started to appreciate  her kindness and wanted to thank her sincerely

 

10. "The woman did not ask the boy anything...that would embarrass him."-Why did not Mrs. Jones want to embarrass Roger in any way?

 

Ans. It was evident  to Mrs. Jones that Roger was already ashamed  of his misdeed. If she embarrassed him more, it would actually belittle him. It would again alienate him. Mrs. Jones knew that young people having no other choice often do silly things. But they needed to be given an opportunity to change. Thus she became a mother-like figure to Roger. She wanted Roger not to do any wrong in future. The best way to do this was to treat him with affection. She recollected that she herself had done certain inglorious deeds in her past and so she could understand and empathies with Roger. Her objective was to influence Roger and not to embarrass him. So, she stopped questioning further.

 

EDITING BY--Liza Mahanta