The Piano Lesson Quiz

Name: The Piano Lesson
Author: August Wilson

Question 1

Why does Boy Willie want to sell the family piano?

Accepted Answer

He plans to use the money to buy the land in Mississippi where his family was enslaved.

Answer

He needs money to pay off debts he owes to a white landowner in Mississippi.

Answer

He believes the piano is cursed and wants to get it out of the house.

Answer

He wants to fund his move to a northern city where he can start a new life.

Question 2

What did Boy Willie's father, Boy Charles, do with the piano?

Accepted Answer

He stole it from the Sutter house and was killed for it.

Answer

He carved the family's history into it while enslaved.

Answer

He sold it to Doaker to bring north to Pittsburgh.

Answer

He refused to touch it because it reminded him of slavery.

Question 3

Why does Berniece refuse to play the piano even though she keeps it in her house?

Accepted Answer

Touching it brings back the grief and pain associated with her family's history and her husband's death.

Answer

She never learned how to play it properly.

Answer

She is saving it to sell later for more money than Boy Willie is offering.

Answer

She believes playing it will anger the ghost of Sutter that haunts the house.

Question 4

What is carved into the wood of the piano?

Accepted Answer

The faces and history of the Charles family members, added by the great-grandfather.

Answer

The names of all the slave owners who profited from the Charles family.

Answer

Decorative patterns and religious symbols meant to honor God.

Answer

A map showing the route from Mississippi to Pittsburgh.

Question 5

How does the ghost of Sutter finally leave the house?

Accepted Answer

Berniece plays the piano and calls out the names of her ancestors.

Answer

Avery Brown performs a religious exorcism ceremony that drives it away.

Answer

Boy Willie defeats it in a physical fight and forces it out.

Answer

Doaker tells the ghost the full history of the piano, which satisfies it.

Question 6

What does Boy Willie decide to do at the end of the play?

Accepted Answer

He returns to Mississippi without the piano, shaken by his encounter with the ghost.

Answer

He sells the piano to a white buyer and leaves Pittsburgh with the money.

Answer

He stays in Pittsburgh and helps Berniece run the household.

Answer

He marries Berniece and they decide to keep the piano as a family treasure.

Question 7

What does Wining Boy's character represent in the play?

Accepted Answer

What happens when a Black man cuts himself off from both his past and his future.

Answer

The possibility of becoming wealthy through music and hard work.

Answer

The importance of religious faith in overcoming family trauma.

Answer

The danger of trusting white people with family secrets.

Question 8

How does the great-grandfather's carving of the piano connect to the play's larger themes?

Accepted Answer

It illustrates how the family created a record of their existence and survival under slavery.

Answer

It shows that enslaved people had no way to preserve their own history.

Answer

It demonstrates that the piano was always meant to be a valuable financial asset.

Answer

It proves that the Sutter family valued Black craftsmanship and treated their workers fairly.

Question 9

What is the central disagreement between Boy Willie and Berniece?

Accepted Answer

Boy Willie believes the piano should be sold to buy land, while Berniece believes keeping it honors their family's sacrifice.

Answer

Boy Willie wants to move to the North while Berniece wants to stay in the South.

Answer

Boy Willie thinks Berniece should marry Avery, while Berniece refuses to marry anyone.

Answer

Boy Willie wants to destroy the piano to end the family's pain, while Berniece wants to preserve it.

Question 10

What does Berniece's decision to finally play the piano suggest about her character development?

Accepted Answer

She has stopped avoiding her grief and has begun to actively engage with her family's history rather than freeze it in silence.

Answer

She has decided to sell the piano and support Boy Willie's plan.

Answer

She has been convinced by Avery that the piano is evil and must be exorcised.

Answer

She has realized that the piano has no real value and is just an old piece of furniture.