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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 two deity names does Delia yell out when she first lays eyes on the snake Sykes has brought home?

2. What two activities does the narrator say that Delia and Sykes now do in silence since their complete impasse?

3. When Delia sees the snake's fangs, she does not run away like usual, nor does she do what with her eyes as she has done in the past?

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

5. What object does Walter say is best to use when charming a rattlesnake?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What two differing reasons does Sykes give for why he was able to catch the six-foot rattlesnake in the first place?

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

4. 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?

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

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

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

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

9. How does Sykes go about showing the rattlesnake to Delia after he has brought it home?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is signified by Delia's worry that Sykes is out with her horse and carriage at the start of the story and how does her worry relate to the themes inherent in the story?

Essay Topic 2

Perform a thorough analysis of the story's denouement and how the author uses this stage to make her message clear to the reader.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the role of death within the short story Sweat.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,114 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample