1. How much does Joe Clarke ask each man to give him in order to pay for the watermelon they will all share?
(a) 20 cents.
(b) 10 cents.
(c) 5 cents.
(d) 50 cents.

2. What gesture does Delia make toward the men on Joe's porch as she passes by?
(a) She nods.
(b) She waves.
(c) She makes the sign of the evil eye.
(d) She turns away.

3. What kind of nuts had Sykes brought as a present to help him woo one of the men's wives?
(a) Peanuts.
(b) Cashews.
(c) Brazil nuts.
(d) Pecans.

4. What instruction does Sykes insist that he has given Delia over and over again without her capitulation?
(a) To answer him when he asks her a question.
(b) To keep white people's clothes out of the house.
(c) To keep the stove clean.
(d) To have his dinner ready when he gets home from work.

5. What object does Delia credit with paying for the house she and Sykes live in?
(a) Her blood.
(b) Her sweat.
(c) Her horse.
(d) Her mother's diamond ring.

Short Answer Questions

1. What kind of indifference does the narrator say Delia comes to feel about everything Sykes says or does after she realizes that his evil deeds will revisit him in the end?

2. When Sykes declares how tired he is of Delia and leaves the house, what does he do on his way out?

3. Where does Delia place the washtub when she returns from the yard with it in her hands?

4. Sykes assures Bertha that he is the "swellest man in the whole" (5) what?

5. Who first entreats Joe to bring a melon from the store and to slice it up for the men?

(see the answer key)

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