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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) Seven feet.
(b) Six feet.
(c) Five feet.
(d) Four feet.

2. When Delia first sees the soap box Sykes has brought home, next to what object is the soap box sitting?
(a) The stairs.
(b) The garden hose.
(c) The washtub.
(d) The chair.

3. What adjective does Walter use to describe what type of customers he and the other men are during the men's requests for watermelon?
(a) Steady.
(b) Regular.
(c) Loyal.
(d) Generous.

4. What does the narrator say the sun has done to turn July to August?
(a) Scorched it into August.
(b) Melted it into August.
(c) Smashed it into August.
(d) Burned it into August.

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

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

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

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

9. Delia tells Sykes that she now hates him to the same degree that what?
(a) That she used to love Sykes.
(b) She hates the devil.
(c) That Sykes loves Bertha.
(d) That Sykes hates her.

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

11. Who owns the disreputable boarding house in Eatonville?
(a) Joe Clarke.
(b) Elijah Moseley.
(c) Della Lewis.
(d) Sally Anderson.

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

13. 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 offer the pair a slice of watermelon.
(b) They put away the watermelon and the knives.
(c) They go inside the store.
(d) They walk off down the road carrying the watermelon with them.

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

15. What event does Sykes cite as the only one that will prompt him to get rid of the snake?
(a) When hell freezes over.
(b) When he decides to get rid of the snake.
(c) When winter comes.
(d) When the snake bites someone.

Short Answer Questions

1. What item does Sykes NOT buy from Joe Clarke's store during his visit there?

2. What causes the snake to come alive and start to rattle incessantly?

3. Before Delia begs Sykes to kill the rattlesnake he has brought home, what does she ask him to do with it?

4. When the men all grunt in approval in response to Old Man Anderson's suggestion that they kill Sykes, what does the narrator say then melts with the heat?

5. 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?

(see the answer keys)

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