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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 adjective does Old Man Anderson use to describe his view of what kind of man Sykes had always been?

2. Who owns the disreputable boarding house in Eatonville?

3. What adverb is used to indicate the manner in which Sykes pushes Delia when he wants her to see the rattlesnake he has brought home?

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

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

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the significance of the snake baring its "scimitar" (6)-like fangs at Delia?

2. 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)

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

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

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

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

7. Which elements of Bertha's character are disparaged by the group of men at Joe Clarke's store once she leaves with Sykes?

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

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

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

Discuss how the author goes about building the character of Bertha, even though her character does not speak any dialogue within the story.

Essay Topic 3

What type of narrator is used within the short story Sweat and how does the narration contrast with the voices of the characters?

(see the answer keys)

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