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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What word does the narrator use to describe Delia's thoughts about her garden?

2. For how long has Delia been doing people's laundry to bring in money?

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

4. When Joe Lindsay says that there ought to be a law about Sykes's behavior, he says that Sykes "ain't fit tuh carry guts to a" (3) what?

5. On the afternoon when Sykes and Bertha come to the store, what does the narrator say had even "collapsed under the heat"? (3)

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the reader made aware that Delia used to love Sykes and still could if he would only change his behavior?

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

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

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

5. What does Sykes's bullwhip symbolize within the story?

6. 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?

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

8. Why does Delia's knowledge that Sykes is out with her pony and carriage worry her?

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

10. What is demonstrated about Sykes's character when the narrator states, "It pleased him for Delia to see" (3) him ordering for Bertha at the store?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the author's use of song as a symbol within the narrative of the story.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the significance of the Chorus within the short story. What is the author's purpose for including the group of men who gather on the porch of Joe Clarke's store?

Essay Topic 3

What is the role of sexuality within the short story Sweat?

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