Mother and Son by Langston Hughes

The stair has all of the following flaws except...

• torn up boards
• cracks
• tacks
• splinters

The mother tells her son

• to be more carefree.
• to make more money.
• to not fall in love.
• not to give up.

The mother says she is...

• giving up on climbing.
• standing still.
• sitting down.
• still climbing.

The mother's tone is best described as ...

• harsh
• fearful
• kind and firm
• indifferent

Which is the main type of figurative language used in the poem?

• simile
• metaphor
• personification
• hyperbole

Why do you think the author began and finished the piece with, "Life for me ain't been no crystal stair"?

• To emphasize an important idea.
• To show the passage of time.
• To show that the author is forgetful.
• To describe the stair.

The author says that "Life for me ain't been no crystal stair." Used in this poem, what does "crystal" mean?

• transparent and slippery
• rough
• beautiful and dangerous
• clear and smooth

The mother's dialect or manner of speaking makes the poem more _______.

• funny
• serious
• realistic
• boastful

In the "Mother to Son", the mother compares her life to a _____ 

• river
• road
• staircase
• journey

What might "reachin' landin's" symbolize in the mother's climb?

• Destructive forces in her life

• Portions of her life that held magic for her

• Compassionate forces in her life

• Places in her life where she had to stop and make decisions