View a FREE sample

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. For how long has Bertha been living in Eatonville on the day Sykes takes her to the store?

3. In what town does Delia attend church at the time Sykes is keeping the rattlesnake?

4. What skill does Sykes learn from a Northern white woman?

5. 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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

9. What is Sykes's reply to Delia's insistence that he remove the rattlesnake from their home?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the significance of the short story's title and how does it relate to the themes present within the story's narrative?

Essay Topic 2

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

Essay Topic 3

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

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,039 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample