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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Where does Sykes say that he will kick the clothes the next time she brings them home?
(a) Into the lake.
(b) Down the street.
(c) Outdoors.
(d) Under a passing carriage.

2. Where does Delia place the washtub when she returns from the yard with it in her hands?
(a) In the kitchen sink.
(b) On the washbench.
(c) On the back porch.
(d) On the bedroom floor.

3. The narrator describes Sykes's choice of the laundry pile on which to step using which adjective?
(a) The biggest.
(b) The whitest.
(c) The tidiest.
(d) The cleanest.

4. When Delia tells Sykes she is not in the mood for a fight because she has just come from a particular place, what is that place?
(a) Church.
(b) City Hall.
(c) Bertha's house.
(d) The corner store.

5. When Delia tells Sykes that she has been taking in laundry the whole time they have been married, what question does he immediately ask her?
(a) Where his share of the profits have gone.
(b) If she has salted the stew.
(c) Whether dinner is ready.
(d) How the subject involves him.

6. What does Delia say Sykes had brought to their marriage?
(a) Anger.
(b) Violence.
(c) Lies.
(d) A longing after the flesh.

7. What does Delia say she does for her pony that makes him belong to her?
(a) She shoes him.
(b) She brushes him.
(c) She feeds him.
(d) She fills his water trough.

8. What substance does Delia demand that Sykes stop grinding into the clothes?
(a) Mud.
(b) Grime.
(c) Dirt.
(d) Dust.

9. What simile does Walter use to describe how pretty Delia had been as a young woman?
(a) A speckled pup.
(b) A two-dollar ribbon.
(c) A peacock.
(d) A striped kitten.

10. What object does Delia pick up immediately after Sykes threatens her in the kitchen?
(a) A pair of scissors.
(b) An iron skillet.
(c) A butcher knife.
(d) A piece of crockery.

11. The narrator describes Delia as giving "a little scream of" (2) what when Sykes steps upon her laundry?
(a) Rage.
(b) Outrage.
(c) Surprise.
(d) Dismay.

12. What adjective does Sykes use to describe Delia just before he steps into the room where she is sorting laundry?
(a) Solicitous.
(b) Annoying.
(c) Aggravating.
(d) Dissembling.

13. When the scene shifts to the porch at the corner store for the first time, what month is it?
(a) July.
(b) April.
(c) February.
(d) December.

14. What adjective does the narrator use to describe Delia's washtub?
(a) Rusty.
(b) Galvanized.
(c) Shiny.
(d) Dented.

15. In what room does Delia sort the clothes she will launder?
(a) Bedroom.
(b) Kitchen.
(c) Dining room.
(d) Study.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the narrator say that the men on Joe's porch do with the cane-knots on the day Sykes and Bertha come to the store, due to the extreme heat?

2. What gesture does Delia make toward the men on Joe's porch as she passes by?

3. Elijah says that Sykes has beaten Delia enough to kill how many women?

4. The narrator describes Delia's shoulders as thin and what?

5. In addition to the adjective black, what other adjective does Delia use to describe Bertha the first time she brings her up to Sykes?

(see the answer keys)

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