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Henry Louis Gates Jr., In the Kitchen

Henry Louis Gates Jr., In the Kitchen

Read In the Kitchen and check your comprehension by answering the following questions. Then “submit” your work.

1. In addition to being a room, what other meaning does “kitchen” have?

It used to be an unconventional way of earning money in the ghetto.

It is the kinky hair at the back of a black person’s neck.

It is a beauty salon.

It is a derogatory name for some blacks, synonymous with “Aunt Jemima.”

2. How did Mama “iron” Mr. Carroll’s hair?

with a simple comb and styling gel

with her Proctor-Silex steam iron

with a solution of harsh chemicals

with a curling iron

3. What was the “process” used for?

to straighten hair

to lose weight

to make moonshine during Prohibition

to articulate important messages; it was a kind of slang

4. In the author’s family, what did the phrase “A white man told me” suggest?

a practical joke

an assertion that was especially preposterous

a statement that was undeniably rude

a warning

5. What is a do-rag?

a particular kind of hairstyle

a kerchief tied about the head to hold a process while one slept

another name for the “process”

a kind of jazzy rhythm