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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How long is the rattlesnake that Sykes brings home?
(a) Six feet.
(b) Seven feet.
(c) Four feet.
(d) Five feet.

2. What reason does Sykes provide for his conclusion that the snake would never bite Delia?
(a) Because the snake would not want to risk breaking his fangs on her bony legs.
(b) Because the snake knows it would be killed.
(c) Because snakes do not bite masculine women.
(d) Because the snake would recognize her as a fellow demon.

3. When Sykes refuses to take the snake away and says that he does not have to do anything besides take a particular action, what action does he say he must do?
(a) Scream.
(b) Kneel.
(c) Laugh.
(d) Die.

4. What term is used to describe the color of the rattlesnake's fangs?
(a) Chalky-white.
(b) Off-white.
(c) Jaundice-yellow.
(d) Eggshell-white.

5. What two deity names does Delia yell out when she first lays eyes on the snake Sykes has brought home?
(a) God and Jesus.
(b) Allah and Buddah.
(c) Holy Mary and Jesus.
(d) God and Christ.

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

7. When Sykes tells Delia that it is no use "puttin' on airs makin' out out lak" (6) she is feeling a certain emotion in response to the snake, what is that emotion?
(a) Pride.
(b) Shyness.
(c) Fear.
(d) Bravery.

8. Before Delia begs Sykes to kill the rattlesnake he has brought home, what does she ask him to do with it?
(a) Find it some food.
(b) Take it away.
(c) Pick it up.
(d) Set it free.

9. What two activities does the narrator say that Delia and Sykes now do in silence since their complete impasse?
(a) Read and work.
(b) Eat and rest.
(c) Sleep and eat.
(d) Work and sleep.

10. The narrator says that each time Delia attempts what type of friendliness toward Sykes, her efforts come to naught?
(a) Subtle.
(b) Timid.
(c) Shy.
(d) Forced.

11. What idiom does Sykes use to describe his suggested action for anyone who does not like the snake?
(a) Hit the grit.
(b) Hit the dirt.
(c) Fly a kite.
(d) Kiss his grits.

12. What simile does the narrator use to describe the snake's fangs curving into the covering of its soap box?
(a) String bows.
(b) Needles.
(c) Door latches.
(d) Scimitars.

13. What adverb is used to indicate the manner in which Sykes pushes Delia when he wants her to see the rattlesnake he has brought home?
(a) Knowingly.
(b) Laughingly.
(c) Cunningly.
(d) Smartly.

14. What kind of silence does the narrator say falls on the porch when Sykes and Bertha arrive at the store?
(a) Awkward.
(b) Determined.
(c) Judgmental.
(d) Hushed.

15. What type of rattlesnake does Sykes say the snake is?
(a) Canebreak.
(b) Diamondback.
(c) Mojave.
(d) Timber.

Short Answer Questions

1. In what town does Delia attend church at the time Sykes is keeping the rattlesnake?

2. To what animal does Dave compare Bertha after she has left the store with Sykes?

3. Why does Delia pay little attention to the soap box when she first sees it?

4. Who is the one villager mentioned by name who comes to the house to see Sykes's snake?

5. Delia tells Sykes that she now hates him to the same degree that what?

(see the answer keys)

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