32 pages 1 hour read

Langston Hughes

Mother to Son

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1987

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Reading Comprehension Questions

1. What central symbol does the poem’s speaker use to represent life? (short answer)

2. The phrase “places with no carpet on the floor” (Line 6) most strongly suggests which of the following experiences?

A) deprivation

B) violence

C) discrimination

D) exploitation

3. Which of the following choices best describes the speaker’s attitude towards life?

A) resigned

B) despairing

C) persevering

D) appreciative

4. Which of the following lines most clearly evokes the possibility of change for the better?

A) “And reachin’ landin’s” (Line 10)

B) “And turnin’ corners” (Line 11)

C) “And sometimes goin’ in the dark” (Line 12)

D) “So boy, don’t you turn back” (Line 14)

5. What three things does the speaker advise her son not to do? (short answer)

Related Titles

By Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Children’s Rhymes

Langston Hughes

Children’s Rhymes

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Cora Unashamed

Langston Hughes

Cora Unashamed

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Dreams

Langston Hughes

Dreams

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Harlem

Langston Hughes

Harlem

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

I look at the world

Langston Hughes

I look at the world

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

I, Too

Langston Hughes

I, Too

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Let America Be America Again

Langston Hughes

Let America Be America Again

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Me and the Mule

Langston Hughes

Me and the Mule

Langston Hughes

Plot Summary
logo

Mulatto

Langston Hughes

Mulatto

Langston Hughes

Plot Summary
logo

Mule Bone: A Comedy of Negro Life

Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston

Mule Bone: A Comedy of Negro Life

Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston

Study Guide
logo

Not Without Laughter

Langston Hughes

Not Without Laughter

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Slave on the Block

Langston Hughes

Slave on the Block

Langston Hughes

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

Thank You, M'am

Langston Hughes

Thank You, M'am

Langston Hughes

Plot Summary
logo

The Big Sea

Langston Hughes

The Big Sea

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Theme for English B

Langston Hughes

Theme for English B

Langston Hughes

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain

Langston Hughes

The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

The Negro Speaks of Rivers

Langston Hughes

The Negro Speaks of Rivers

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

The Ways of White Folks

Langston Hughes

The Ways of White Folks

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

The Weary Blues

Langston Hughes

The Weary Blues

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Tired

Langston Hughes

Tired

Langston Hughes