MOTHER TO SON
by Langston Hughes

Well, son, I‘ll tell you:

Life for me ain‘t been no crystal stair.

It‘s had tacks in it,

And splinters,

And boards torn up,

And places with no carpet on the floor—

Bare.

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.

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—

For I‘se still goin‘, honey,

I‘se still climbin‘,

And life for me ain‘t been no crystal stair.

1. Which of the following refers to a small, thin, sharp piece of wood, glass, or

similar material broken off from a larger piece?

A. bare B. splinter C. stair D. tacks

2. What word in the poem is synonymous with ―uncovered‖?

A. bare B. splinter C. stair D. tacks

3. Which word means a set of steps leading from one floor of a building to another,

typically inside the building?

A. bare B. splinter C. stair D. tacks

4. Which word in the poem is related to ―no light‖?

A. boards B. crystal C. dark D. honey

5. Which of the following is compared to the mother‘s life?

A. carpet B. crystal stair C. floor D. tacks

6. In connection with question no. 5, what figure of speech is used in the poem?

A. epithet B. hyperbole C. irony D. metaphor

7. What is the predominant sensory impression in the poem?

A. sight B. smell C. sound D. taste

8. Which of the following lines uses consonance?

A. But all the time C. I‘se still climbin‘

B. Don‘t you fall now D. Well, son, I‘ll tell you

9. ―I‘se been a-climbin‘ on, And reachin‘ landin‘s, And turnin‘ corners…‖ These lines

of the poem use two phonological or sound devices. Which of these?

A. alliteration and assonance C. assonance and consonance

B. alliteration and onomatopoeia D. consonance and onomatopoeia

10. Which of the following sensory images is expressed in lines 3 to 7?

A. feeling B. sight C. smell D. sound

11. What might ―reachin‘ landin‘s‖ symbolize in the mother‘s climb?

A. destructive forces in her life

B. compassionate forces in her life

C. portions of her life that held magic for her

D. places in her life where she had to stop and make decisions

12. Why is it that the word ―bare‖ is on a line all alone?

A. to emphasize the son‘s brutality

B. because it rhymes with the word ―stair‖

C. because Hughes couldn‘t think of anything else to add to that line

D. to emphasize how difficult and ―bare‖ of luxuries the mother‘s life had been

13. In the poem, what do boards with ―tacks and splinters‖ and ―boards torn up‖

symbolize?

A. the ungrateful way the mother‘s son treats her

B. a life that has had many difficulties and challenges

C. run-down housing where the mother and her son live

D. the lack of compassion each man has for his fellow man

14. What is the theme of the poem?

A. You need to love all of mankind.

B. Don‘t be so foolhardy and headstrong that you get hurt.

C. When you are in trouble, look to your mother for advice.

D. Don‘t give up; complete the goals you have set for yourself.

15. Why is a ―stairway‖ particularly an appropriate metaphor to describe the

wisdom of the mother who is trying to impart to her son?

A. Stairways are almost always dirty and rough.

B. Stairways are often found in expensive houses.

C. One has to clean and wax a stairway to make it look good.

D. Stairway takes steady persistence to climb and it can go up and down.​