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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 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?
(a) Their determination.
(b) Their moral turpitude.
(c) Their civic virtue.
(d) Their stick-to-it-iveness.

2. For how long has Bertha been living in Eatonville on the day Sykes takes her to the store?
(a) Two weeks.
(b) Three months.
(c) Four months.
(d) One week.

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

4. What beverage does Sykes drink slowly and deliberately before he responds to Delia's request that he remove the snake?
(a) Lemonade.
(b) Coffee.
(c) Water.
(d) Strawberry soda.

5. How much coffee does Sykes ask Joe Clarke to sell him?
(a) Two pounds.
(b) Three pounds.
(c) A pound.
(d) Half of a pound.

Short Answer Questions

1. What do the men immediately do when Sykes and Bertha arrive at the store when they are about to cut into the watermelon?

2. When the snake starts to rattle incessantly inside its soap box, movements in what two locations cause him to rattle?

3. Sykes assures Bertha that he is the "swellest man in the whole" (5) what?

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

5. What does Sykes say Delia looks like to him when he tells Delia he has hated her for years?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How does the author demonstrate the village's viewpoint regarding Sykes's keeping of the rattlesnake?

3. How does the snake's behavior change once it has taken two or three days to digest its large meal of frogs?

4. What is Hurston's purpose for alluding to Gethsemane and the rocks of Calvary during the period of conflict with Sykes?

5. What arguments do the men present when they are trying to get Joe Clarke to bring out a watermelon for them to share?

6. How does Delia react once Sykes both refuses to remove the rattlesnake and threatens to beat her?

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

8. How does Sykes use the occasion of bringing home the rattlesnake in order to once again attack Delia's physical appearance?

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

10. How does Delia try "to be blind and deaf" (5) to Sykes's gallivanting around town with Bertha?

(see the answer keys)

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