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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 calls Delia a hypocrite, what sin does he accuse her of committing to warrant this label?
(a) Stealing.
(b) Lying.
(c) Working on the Sabbath.
(d) Being proud.

2. What does Delia mean when she says that she will stay in the house until she is "toted out foot foremost"? (2)
(a) Until she dies.
(b) Until the house burns down.
(c) Until she is arrested.
(d) Until she sells the house.

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

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

5. When Delia tells Sykes she is not in the mood for a fight because she has just come from a particular place, what is that place?
(a) Church.
(b) City Hall.
(c) Bertha's house.
(d) The corner store.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Delia call Sykes's action of scaring her with the bullwhip?

2. The bullwhip is described by the narrator as long, round, limp, and what?

3. When Joe Clarke says that there is no law in the world that will make a man act a certain way, what is that certain way he mentions?

4. The narrator describes Delia as giving "a little scream of" (2) what when Sykes steps upon her laundry?

5. When Delia goes into the yard to retrieve the washtub, what action does Sykes take inside the house?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What is meant by the piece of narration that states, "It was plain that the breaches must remain agape" (6)?

4. In what season does the story begin its narrative and what does this choice by the author symbolize?

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

6. How does the author make a change in Delia's speech in order to portray her newly-won defiance toward Sykes and his attempts to control her?

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

8. At what point does the author show the first change in Delia's character and how does she portray this change?

9. Before Delia's decision to stand up to Sykes by raising the iron skillet in a defensive pose, how does she react to his verbal abuse?

10. Describe the symbolism of the iron skillet.

(see the answer keys)

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