I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Chapter 4

Who is Mr. McElroy?

• Maya's uncle

• a neighbor

• Maya and Bailey's teacher

• the used-to-be or former white sheriff of Stamps

Why do Maya & her brother, Bailey think Mr. McElroy is an incredibly brave man?

• He won't go to church in a very religiously dominating area.

• He talks back to Momma

• He is white and lives in the segregated black side of town

• He is the town mayor

What is the first thing that Maya points out a difference between in Chapter 4?

• Her momma (grandmother) and her

• Mr. McElroy and herself

• Bailey and Momma

• living in the North as a child and living in the South US

Mr. McElroy and Momma are both similar in that

• they are very wealthy

• they are the rare INDEPENDENT African-Americans in the segregated South

• they are both very religious

• they both continually talk to and teach Maya and her brother lessons

Who does Maya Angelou love above anyone else in the world?

• Her Uncle Willie

• Her mother living in San Francisco

• Her only brother

• Mr. McElroy

Bailey could and would always

• punish Maya for not being as good-looking as himself

• make her laugh and "stick up" for her

• talk back to their grandmother

• play jokes on Uncle Willie

Why wasn't Bailey punished as much, even though he was more mischievous and less obedient than Maya?

• He was the pride of the family for his looks, hard-work, and intelligence

• He was paralyzed on 1 side of his body and people felt sorry for him

• Because he was Momma's only son

• None of the above

Sometimes, Maya talks about herself as

• a lonely child

• the happiest child in the entire world

• the most beautiful girl in the universe

• in charge of the whole family

In the second part of Chapter 4, we realize that African-Americans in Stamps, unlike white people, didn't

• own refrigerators

• have their own schools

• live in the deep South

• None of the above

African-Americans, around and in Arkansas, preserved their meat by smoking it and canning it. In fact, Maya's family ate fresh meat

• every day

• only once a week

• only twice a year

• whenever they wanted, because they were wealthy