I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Study Guide

1. When Maya and her brother are young, they are sent:

• to their grandmother in Arkansas
• to a foster home
• to their father in California
• to their mother in St. Louis

2. Their grandmother, Momma Henderson, makes her living from:

• lending money
• running a store
• raising livestock
• running a restaurant in town

3. Maya and Bailey are uneasy with their Uncle Willie because:

• he is unpleasant to them
• he is crippled
• he has a very bad temper
• he embarrasses them in front of friends

4. What author does Maya love, that her grandmother doesn't approve of?

• Robert Louis Stevenson
• Milton
• George Eliot
• Shakespeare

5. What does Momma do, to protect Uncle Willie from the white men looking for revenge?

• sends him to a relative's house
• hides him in a vegetable bin
• has him hide in the house
• sends him to church

6. Maya's closest friend throughout her childhood is:

• Bailey
• her friend Louise
• Momma
• Joyce

7. Why does Maya get angry repeatedly at Momma?

• she allows white people to mistreat her
• she makes the children go to church
• she is far too strict with her and Bailey
• she lets people steal from the store

8. What reminds Maya and Bailey of their parents after many years?

• seeing pictures of their parents
• Momma talking about their parents
• a postcard from their father
• Christmas presents from their parents

9. Why are Maya and Bailey hurt after their father takes them from Stamps?

• he promised them a vacation to California
• he gets angry with them during the car trip
• he tells them he is taking them to their mother
• they miss Momma Henderson

10. Their mother's family are called:

• the Baxters
• the Hendersons
• the Freemans
• the Johnsons