“Thank You, Ma’am” was written by the American writer Langston Hughes. In this short story, two characters were found: Mrs Luella Bates Washington Jones and Roger. Roger, a boy of fourteen or fifteen years old, tried to snatch the purse of Mrs Luella Bates Washington Jones who was returning from her work at about 11 p.m. The boy said that he wanted to buy a pair of blue suede shoes. For this reason, he tried to snatch her pocketbook. Mrs Jones took him to her house and offered him supper. She gave him affection like a mother and taught him right and wrong. She also gave him ten dollars to buy his desired blue suede shoes.
76 Short Questions with their answers are given below :
Thank You, Ma’am – Short Questions and Answers
1. What is the name of the madam, mentioned in the story ‘Thank You, Ma’am’?
The name of the madam, mentioned in the story ‘Thank You Ma’am’, is Mrs Luella Bates Washington Jones.
2. What did the woman’s purse contain?
The woman’s purse contained everything but hammer and nails.
3. Where did Mrs Jones meet Roger?
Mrs Jones met Roger at the corner of the road on her way back home from the hotel beauty shop.
4. Why did the boy fail to snatch the purse?
The boy failed to snatch the purse as the combined weight of the boy and the bag made him lose his balance.
5. How old is Roger?
Roger is fourteen or fifteen years old.
6. According to Mrs Jones, how old was the boy?
According to Mrs Jones, the boy was fourteen or fifteen years old.
7. What reason did the boy give for snatching the purse?
The boy wanted to buy a pair of blue suede shoes. He gave this reason for snatching the purse.
8. Why did the boy try to snatch the pocketbook?
As the boy wanted to buy a pair of blue suede shoes, he tried to snatch the large purse or pocketbook from the lady.
9. What was the name of the boy who tried to snatch the bag?
The name of the boy who tried to snatch the bag of the lady was Roger.
10. Who is the author of ‘Thank You, Ma’am’?
Langston Hughes is the author of the short story ‘Thank You, Ma’am;
11. When did the boy try to snatch the purse of Mrs Jones?
When Mrs Jones was returning home from work at about eleven o’clock at night, the boy tried to snatch Mrs Jones’ purse.
12. When was Mrs Jones returning from her work?
Mrs Jones was returning from her work at about eleven o’clock at night.
13. Of what kind was the purse of Mrs Luella Bates?
The purse of Mrs Luella Bates was a large one with a long strap, and it had almost everything in it.
14. Where did Roger fall while trying to snatch the purse of Mrs Jones?
While trying to snatch the purse of Mrs Jones, Roger fell on the sidewalk.
15. “You a lie!” – What does the person spoken to lie about?
Roger, the person spoken to, lied about not intending to snatch the lady’s purse.
16. How did Roger look when Mrs Jones was dragging him behind her?
When Mrs Jones was dragging him behind her, Roger looked frightened.
17. Why did Mrs Jones want to wash the face of the boy?
Mrs Jones wanted to wash the face of the boy because it was dirty, and she reacted as any mother would.
18. Where did Roger fall on losing his balance?
On losing his balance, Roger fell on his back on the sidewalk.
19. Where did Luella take the boy in ‘Thank You, Ma’am’?
Luella took the boy to her large kitchenette-furnished room.
20. What did Mrs Jones ask Roger to do reaching her house?
Mrs Jones asked Roger to go to the sink and wash his face after reaching her house.
21. Where did Mrs Jones turn the boy loose?
Mrs Jones turned the boy loose in the kitchenette in front of the sink.
22. Where did Mrs Bates work?
Mrs Bates worked at a hotel beauty shop.
23. What was the first thing that Roger had to do at the house of Mrs Jones?
The first thing that Roger was forced to do at Mrs Jones’ house was clean his dirty face.
24. Why was the boy Roger unfed?
Roger was unfed because there was nobody to look after him at home.
25. “He could run, run, run, run, run!”- Why didn’t Roger run?
Roger didn’t run because he did not want Mrs Jones to mistrust him.
26. Name the lady whose purse the boy had tried to snatch.
The name of the lady whose purse the boy had tried to snatch was Mrs Luella Bates Washington Jones.
27. What did the lady in ‘Thank You Ma’am’ look like?
The lady in “Thank You Ma’am” was a large woman with a long strapped large purse that she carried slung across her shoulder.
28. At what time did the boy meet Mrs Jones?
The boy met Mrs Jones at about eleven o’clock at night.
29. Why couldn’t Roger run away after snatching Mrs Jones’ purse?
After snatching Mrs Jones’ purse, Roger could not run away because he lost his balance and fell on the sidewalk.
30. Why did Roger lose balance while trying to snatch Mrs Jones’ purse?
Roger’s own weight and the weight of the purse combined caused him to lose his balance.
31. How did the woman react when her purse was snatched?
The woman immediately turned around, kicked the boy, then picked him up by his shirt front and shook him until his teeth rattled. In this way, the woman reacted when her purse was snatched.
32. “You a lie!”-Why did the lady say so?
The lady said that the boy was a liar because the latter said that he had not intended to take her purse.
33. “You a lie!”-What does the utterance actually mean?
The utterance actually means that the person spoken to is a liar.
34. “I’m very sorry, lady, I’m sorry”- What was the name of the ‘lady’?
Here, the lady’s name is Mrs Luella Bates Washington Jones.
35. ‘I got a great mind …” – What did the speaker want to do with the boy?
The speaker, Mrs Luella Bates Washington Jones, wanted to wash the face of the young boy as it was dirty.
36. What did the boy look like?
The boy looked as if he was fourteen or fifteen years old, and he seemed ‘frail’ and ‘willow-wild’ in his tennis shoes and blue jeans.
37. What did Mrs Jones do after kicking Roger down to the ground?
Mrs Jones stooped, picked Roger up by his shirt front, and shook him till his teeth rattled.
38. Describe the boy ‘put’ himself ‘in contact’ with Mrs Luella Bates Washington Jones.
The boy who ‘put’ himself ‘in contact’ with Mrs Jones was about fourteen or fifteen, frail and willow wild, in tennis shoes and blue jeans.
39. How did Roger come to know that he and Mrs Jones were not alone in the house?
Roger came to know that he and Mrs Jones were not alone in the house because he could hear other roomers laughing and talking in the large house.
40. When did Mrs Jones turn Roger loose?
When Mrs Jones reached her kitchenette, she told Roger to wash his face at the sink and turned him loose.
41. How was the interior of the house of Mrs Jones?
Mrs Jones’ house had a hall inside, and her room was large and furnished with a kitchenette.
42. What request did Roger make to Mrs Jones when he was bending over the sink to wash his face?
Roger requested Mrs Jones not to take him to jail.
43. Why did Mrs Jones drag the boy inside her house?
Mrs Jones dragged the boy inside her house because she thought that the boy might flee from her.
44. “He could make a dash…” – What was the intention of the boy?
The intention of the boy was to escape from Mrs Jones’ house.
45. Why had Roger not had his supper?
Roger had not had his supper because there was nobody at his home.
46. Why did Roger say initially that he was not hungry?
Roger initially said he was not hungry because he thought that Mrs Jones would let him go then.
47. Where did Mrs Jones’ purse drop?
Mrs Jones’ purse dropped on her day-bed.
48. Why did Mrs Jones want the boy to comb his hair?
Mrs Jones wanted the boy to comb his hair so that he would look good and presentable.
49. What did Mrs Jones give the boy to eat?
Mrs Jones gave the boy some lima beans, ham, cocoa, and later, half of a ten-cent cake to eat.
50. How did Roger try to help Mrs Jones?
Roger offered to go to the store to get some milk or something that Mrs Jones might want. Thus, Roger tried to help Mrs Jones.
51. Why did Mrs Jones not ask Roger any question regarding his personal life?
Mrs Jones did not ask Roger any question regarding his personal life because she did not want to embarrass him.
52. What did Mrs Jones give the boy before he parted with her?
Mrs Jones gave the boy ten dollars so that he might buy his cherished blue suede shoes for himself.
53. What could the boy say at the end?
The boy could barely utter the commonplace expression, ‘thank you’.
54. Why did Roger want to thank the woman?
Roger wanted to thank the woman because she had given him unconditional love and trust.
55. What were Roger’s final words to Mrs Jones?
Roger’s final words to Mrs Jones were ‘Thank you’.
56. What is suggested in the sentence -” I have done things, too, which I would not tell you, son”?
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.
57. “… if he didn’t already know.”- Who is referred to here as ‘he’?
God is referred to here as ‘he’.
58. What were there behind the screen of Mrs Jones’s room?
There was a mini kitchen with a gas plate and an icebox behind the screen.
59. What was the profession of Mrs Jones?
Mrs Jones worked in a hotel beauty shop.
60. What did Mrs Bates prepare for supper?
Mrs Bates prepared lima beans, ham, and cocoa.
61. What did Mrs Jones give Roger at the end of the dinner?
Mrs Jones gave Roger half of her ten-cent cake at the end of the dinner.
62. What was the boy supposed to do with ten dollars?
The boy was supposed to buy a pair of blue suede shoes with ten dollars.
63. “…shoes come by devilish…burn your feet.” – What does the line mean?
At the end of the story, Roger learnt that shoes got by devilish means would burn his feet, i.e., things obtained by wrong means would hurt him badly.
64. Why didn’t the boy want to say ‘Thank you, ma’am’?
The behaviour of Mrs Jones had a deep impact on the boy, and so he probably felt ‘Thank you, ma’am’ would be too commonplace and inadequate a phrase to express his gratitude towards her.
65. What was the last advice Mrs Jones gave Roger?
The last piece of advice that Mrs Jones gave Roger was not to steal to buy shoes, meaning not to use unfair means to fulfil his desires.
66. How does the past of Mrs Jones resemble the present of Roger’s ?
Like Roger, Mrs Jones in her youth had wanted things she could not get, and so her past resembled Roger’s present.
67. What did the icebox in ‘Thank You Ma’am’ contain?
The ice box in ‘Thank You Ma’am’ contained lima beans and ham.
68. Why didn’t the boy want to be mistrusted?
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.
69. Why did Roger sit in a place where he could be seen by the lady?
Roger sat in a place where he could be seen by the lady because he did not want to be mistrusted now.
70. What was the price of the cake that the boy was given a part of in ‘Thank You Ma’am’?
The price of the cake, a half of which was given to the boy, was ten cents.
71. What did Luella Bates Washington Jones talk about while eating?
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.
72. What lesson did Roger get at the end of the story from Mrs Jones?
At the end of the story, Roger learnt that things obtained by unfair means would hurt him badly.
73. What was the boy warned against by Mrs Jones?
The boy was warned by Mrs Jones not to make the mistake of latching onto her pocketbook or of anybody else’s because shoes bought by such unfair means would burn his feet.
74. What lesson of his life did Roger get at the end of the story from Mrs Jones?
Mrs Jones gave two lessons of life to Roger, not to steal or take away something by unfair means and to behave properly.
75. Why did Mrs Jones feel sorry for Roger?
Mrs Jones felt sorry for Roger because she realised that Roger’s poverty had made him steal.
76. How much did Mrs Jones give Roger and why?
Mrs Jones gave Roger ten dollars to buy his desired blue suede shoes.
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