“Do you need somebody to go to the store,… ?” Who is the speaker? To whom did the speaker say this? Why did the speaker want to go to the store? What did they have in supper?
The speaker of the line quoted above is Roger, who attempted to steal the purse of Mrs Jones.
The speaker said this to Mrs Luella Bates Washington Jones, who wanted to teach him right from wrong.
Roger was so moved by Mrs Jones’ motherly affection that he wished to earn a place in her heart by becoming helpful and good. Hence, he asked her if she needed someone to go to the store may be to get some milk or something.
Mrs Jones heated some lima beans and ham she had in the icebox, made cocoa out of canned milk and cut her ten-cent cake. The two had all these in supper.
“And he did not want to be mistrusted now.” Who is referred to as ‘he” here? Whose trust did he want to win? Why didn’t he want to be mistrusted?
Roger is referred to as the here.
Roger wanted to win Mrs Luella Bates Washington Jones’ trust.
The brief encounter with Mrs Jones changed Roger’s life completely. He realised the worth of achieving something through hard work and labour. Mrs Jones had confronted similar situations in her life and therefore she understood that Roger was not a born thief. She bestowed all her love and affection upon Roger and taught him the difference between right and wrong. She showered her trust on Roger and left her purse on the day-bed giving Roger enough time and opportunity to snatch the purse and run away. Mrs Jones’ affectionate behaviour moved Roger and instead of running away with the purse, Roger sat on the far side of the room as he did not want to be mistrusted.
“Now, here, take this ten dollars…”-Who said this? Why did the speaker offer ten dollars? How did the speaker advise the person spoken to? What was the reaction of the person spoken to?
“Eat some more, son,…”-Who is the speaker? What is offered by the speaker to the listener? What picture of the speaker’s character is revealed in this line?
“…. because shoes come by devilish like that will burn your feet.”—Who is the speaker here? Whom was it spoken to? When did the speaker say this? What attitude of the speaker has been enlightened here?
“Goodnight! Behave yourself, boy!”-Who said this and to whom? What did the speaker mean by saying “Behave yourself”? How did the boy react at last?
“He barely managed to say “Thank you” before she shut the door-How does the ending appear to be in contrast to the way in which the story begins?
Describe the bag snatching incident. | What do you know about Mrs Luella’s home?
Retrace the course of action from the moment Mrs Jones caught the boy to the time they reached the middle of the room.
Bring forward the discussion that Mrs Jones had with Roger in her house. | Why did Roger try to snatch the purse of the lady?
Why did Roger not try to run away later although he had an opportunity to do so ?
What did Mrs Jones and Roger talk about while eating supper? What did Mrs Jones not ask Roger and why? What amount was offered by Mrs Jones to Roger?
Why did Mrs Jones not send the boy to jail for his attempt to steal?
Do you think Roger will try to steal again? Give reasons and use details from the story to support your answer.
At the end of the story, it says that the boy wanted to say something else other than ‘Thank You’ to Mrs Jones, but he could not-What were the circumstances that led him to thank Mrs Jones?
Who do you think is the central character of the story-Mrs Jones or Roger? Give reasons for your analysis.
Do you think a chance encounter between people can sometimes change their lives? Write about such an instance in your own words.
What lessons can we learn from the story “Thank You Ma’am”?
Discuss the significance of the title of the story, “Three Questions”.
Assess how much successful is “Three Questions as a short story. | Analyse the character of the Tsar.