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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. What kind of silence does the narrator say falls on the porch when Sykes and Bertha arrive at the store?
(a) Judgmental.
(b) Determined.
(c) Awkward.
(d) Hushed.

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

3. What adjective does Old Man Anderson use when he says that Sykes has gotten too something to live?
(a) Uppity.
(b) Proud.
(c) Mean.
(d) Biggety.

4. Before Delia begs Sykes to kill the rattlesnake he has brought home, what does she ask him to do with it?
(a) Pick it up.
(b) Find it some food.
(c) Set it free.
(d) Take it away.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. How much does Joe Clarke ask each man to give him in order to pay for the watermelon they will all share?

2. What term is used to describe the color of the rattlesnake's fangs?

3. How often does Sykes say he could catch a big rattlesnake if he wanted to?

4. What day does Sykes say he has almost forgotten it is when he is about to leave the store with Bertha?

5. What idiom does Sykes use to describe his suggested action for anyone who does not like the snake?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what way does Sykes accuse Delia of being insincere about her fear of snakes when he brings home the rattlesnake?

2. For how long has Bertha been in Eatonville and how does she support herself?

3. What causes a "determined silence" (4) to fall over the porch when the men are about to slice the watermelon?

4. How are Delia's efforts to remain "blind and deaf" (5) to Sykes's adulterous actions thwarted?

5. What is ironic about Sykes's statement to Bertha that the town is his and that she can have it if she wants it?

6. What argumentative method does Delia use in order to convince Sykes that he needs to take the snake away from her home?

7. What does Sykes mean when he tells Delia not to ask him for anything and comments on her attempt to "goin' roun' trying 'tuh be so damn asterperious"? (6)

8. What is Delia's reason for not trying to get rid of Bertha in some way in order to solve the problems in her marriage?

9. What does Delia say is different about Bertha in comparison to other women with whom Sykes has had affairs?

10. What plans does Sykes make with Bertha and what is the significance of these plans?

(see the answer keys)

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