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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What two items does Sykes tell Joe Clarke he has come to buy?
(a) Pork belly and coffee.
(b) Pecans and molasses.
(c) Eggs and maple syrup.
(d) Coffee and bread.

2. What does the narrator say streams down like a "million hot arrows" (5) during the time when Delia and Sykes are not speaking to one another?
(a) The heat.
(b) The raindrops.
(c) The tense moments.
(d) The rays of the sun.

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

4. 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) Die.
(b) Kneel.
(c) Scream.
(d) Laugh.

5. What action does Dave say causes Bertha to look like a particular animal?
(a) Yawning.
(b) Walking.
(c) Laughing.
(d) Dancing.

6. What causes the snake to come alive and start to rattle incessantly?
(a) It rains.
(b) Sykes feeds it a mouse.
(c) It finishes digesting its food.
(d) The weather gets warmer.

7. What adjective does Old Man Anderson use to describe his view of what kind of man Sykes had always been?
(a) Mean.
(b) Proud.
(c) Haughty.
(d) Overbearing.

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

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

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

11. 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) God and Christ.
(c) Allah and Buddah.
(d) Holy Mary and Jesus.

12. When Sykes says that one reason he caught the snake easily was because it had just had a meal, what does he say it had just eaten?
(a) Toads.
(b) Frogs.
(c) Lizards.
(d) Rats.

13. How much chewing gum does Sykes buy for Bertha at the store?
(a) A pound.
(b) Five gumballs.
(c) A block.
(d) Ten sticks.

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

15. What pet name does Sykes call Bertha when they are in the store?
(a) Darling.
(b) Sweetness.
(c) Kitten.
(d) Honey.

Short Answer Questions

1. In what kind of establishment does Bertha live while having her rent paid in Eatonville?

2. Who pays Bertha's rent in Eatonville?

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 reason does Sykes provide for his conclusion that the snake would never bite him?

5. What kind of silence does the narrator say falls on the porch when Sykes and Bertha arrive at the store?

(see the answer keys)

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