People
Who wrote I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings?
Maya Angelou
What is Maya's brother's name?
Bailey
To what town do Maya and her brother move at the beginning of the book?
Stamps, Arkansas
How do Maya and Bailey initially arrive in Stamps?
By train
Who comes to Stamps in a big gray car and stays with Momma?
Big Bailey
How does Maya see herself compared to her brother?
She has an inferiority complex and she sees herself as uglier, louder, etc
Who is Uncle Willie and what is notable about him?
Momma's son who at age three became disabled when he was dropped by a caregiver.
Where does the prologue take place?
In the church.
What did Bailey steal?
A pickle
How were the children taught the times tables?
Uncle Willie made them recite them and threatened to burn them on the stove when they got an answer wrong.
Who unintentionally addresses Momma as “Mrs. Henderson” because he doesn’t realize that she’s black?
A Judge
What does Momma call the rude white children?
powhitetrash
Where did Uncle Willie hide from “The Boys”?
Onion and potato bins
What do Maya and Bailey do with the blonde, blue-eyed china doll that their mother sends?
Destroy it
How did Grandmother Baxter achieve success?
She connected with the criminal underworld.
When did the narrator's grandmother get out of bed during the picking season?
Four o'clock
Who was the woman who knocked out the pastor's teeth with her purse?
Sister Monroe
Where does Mr. McElroy live?
In the big house next to the store.
What was given to the sewing class? By whom?
Rich white people gave old clothes to the class.
What did uncle Willie lean on in Chapter 2?
The tobacco shelf
Who is Howard Thomas and how is he characterized?
He is the Reverend who comes and stays with Momma, Maya and Bailey. He is loud and rude.
Grandmother Baxter was raised by what nationality of family?
German
Where did Maya attend school in St. Louis?
Toussaint L'Ouverture Grammar School
Why did Maya eat powdered eggs and milk everyday?
The government gave people these supplies and the people would then barter this for other goods they needed from Momma's store, thus Momma always had a lot of this so to be thrifty she made the kids eat it.
Why did Uncle Willie miss church?
He stayed at the store to keep Mr. Murphy from stealing everything.