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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who first entreats Joe to bring a melon from the store and to slice it up for the men?
(a) Elijah.
(b) Old Man Anderson.
(c) Joe Clarke.
(d) Joe Lindsay.

2. Of what type of material is the covering of the snake's soap box made?
(a) Plywood.
(b) Wire.
(c) Glass.
(d) Cloth.

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

4. What reason does Sykes provide for his conclusion that the snake would never bite him?
(a) Because he has already de-fanged the snake.
(b) Because snakes do not bite masculine men.
(c) Because he knows how to handle the snake.
(d) Because the snake knows it would be killed.

5. What do the men immediately do when Sykes and Bertha arrive at the store when they are about to cut into the watermelon?
(a) They put away the watermelon and the knives.
(b) They walk off down the road carrying the watermelon with them.
(c) They offer the pair a slice of watermelon.
(d) They go inside the store.

6. Who drives past the store just when Sykes is ordering food for Bertha at the store?
(a) Delia.
(b) Sykes's former mistress.
(c) Joe Clarke's daughter.
(d) Elijah's wife.

7. In what town had Bertha lived previously before coming to Eatonville?
(a) Apalachicola.
(b) Orlando.
(c) Apopka.
(d) Talahassee.

8. What tool does Joe Clarke offer to lend the men so they can cut the watermelon for sharing?
(a) His switchblade.
(b) His bowie knife.
(c) His meat knife.
(d) His machete.

9. When Delia confronts Sykes at the dinner table about removing the snake, what two behaviors of his does she say she has put up with for many years?
(a) Ignoring her and being unfaithful to her.
(b) Starving her and beating her.
(c) Hating her and beating her.
(d) Starving her and yelling at her.

10. What beverage does Sykes drink slowly and deliberately before he responds to Delia's request that he remove the snake?
(a) Coffee.
(b) Strawberry soda.
(c) Water.
(d) Lemonade.

11. What is NOT one event listed as taking place during the dog days of summer in Eatonville?
(a) Grass withering.
(b) Snakes shedding.
(c) Leaves browning.
(d) Swimming holes drying up.

12. To what town does Sykes often take Bertha so they can participate in stomps?
(a) Orlando.
(b) Winter Park.
(c) Apalachicola.
(d) Deer Lake.

13. How much coffee does Sykes ask Joe Clarke to sell him?
(a) Half of a pound.
(b) Three pounds.
(c) A pound.
(d) Two pounds.

14. Sykes assures Bertha that he is the "swellest man in the whole" (5) what?
(a) Town.
(b) County.
(c) Country.
(d) State.

15. What verb is used to indicate the manner in which Delia goes underneath Sykes's arm when he is blocking the doorway?
(a) Shrugs.
(b) Slinks.
(c) Stoops.
(d) Crouches.

Short Answer Questions

1. When the snake starts to rattle incessantly inside its soap box, movements in what two locations cause him to rattle?

2. What pet name does Sykes call Bertha when they are in the store?

3. When Delia sees the snake's fangs, she does not run away like usual, nor does she do what with her eyes as she has done in the past?

4. What adjective does Old Man Anderson use when he says that Sykes has gotten too something to live?

5. The narrator says that each time Delia attempts what type of friendliness toward Sykes, her efforts come to naught?

(see the answer keys)

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