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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. When Sykes laughs at Delia for being scared of the bullwhip, what physical movement does he make?
(a) He crosses his legs.
(b) He slaps his leg.
(c) He stomps his foot.
(d) He wipes his face.

2. What kind of indifference does the narrator say Delia comes to feel about everything Sykes says or does after she realizes that his evil deeds will revisit him in the end?
(a) Bored.
(b) Uneasy.
(c) Triumphant.
(d) Tremendous.

3. What type of material makes up the mattress of the bed in Delia's home?
(a) Sawdust.
(b) Buckwheat.
(c) Hay.
(d) Feathers.

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

5. When Sykes declares how tired he is of Delia and leaves the house, what does he do on his way out?
(a) Slams the front door.
(b) Slams the back gate.
(c) Bangs on the mailbox.
(d) Kicks the fence.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where does Delia place the washtub when she returns from the yard with it in her hands?

2. 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?

3. What simile does Walter use to describe how pretty Delia had been as a young woman?

4. What instruction does Sykes insist that he has given Delia over and over again without her capitulation?

5. For how long has Delia been married to Sykes?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what ways do the men on Joe Clarke's porch express contempt for Sykes?

2. What is the significance of Joe Clarke's pronouncement that some men treat women like pieces of sugar-cane?

3. How does Sykes react to Delia's questions whenever she asks him a question?

4. How does the author depict Sykes as being childish?

5. What is ironic about Sykes's stating that his reason for ordering Delia to cease taking in laundry from white folks is that he has promised God that she will do so?

6. How is foreshadowing incorporated into the very first encounter between Delia and Sykes?

7. In what ways does Sykes's character emerge within the story's very first featured encounter between Sykes and Delia?

8. In what ways do the men on Joe Clarke's porch express admiration of Delia?

9. Describe the symbolism of the iron skillet.

10. What behaviors does Delia display that demonstrate her familiarity with Sykes's abusive behaviors?

(see the answer keys)

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