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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. On what night of the week does Delia stay up late in order to get a head start on her work?
(a) Wednesday.
(b) Sunday.
(c) Monday.
(d) Saturday.

2. Where does Sykes say that he will kick the clothes the next time she brings them home?
(a) Down the street.
(b) Under a passing carriage.
(c) Outdoors.
(d) Into the lake.

3. Who says he would have married Delia himself if Sykes had not beaten him to it?
(a) Walter.
(b) Joe.
(c) Jim.
(d) Elijah.

4. When Delia picks up an object and strikes a pose after being threatened by Sykes, what does the narrator state as the action that Sykes refrains from performing, though he usually would perform it right away in such a situation?
(a) Yelling at Delia.
(b) Leaving the house.
(c) Striking Delia.
(d) Calling the magistrate.

5. On the afternoon when Sykes and Bertha come to the store, what does the narrator say had even "collapsed under the heat"? (3)
(a) Common sense.
(b) Friendships.
(c) Conversation.
(d) Good will.

6. About what task does Sykes state his lack of care about whether Delia ever gets the task done or not?
(a) Cooking dinner.
(b) Sweeping.
(c) Whitewashing the house.
(d) Laundry.

7. Where does Delia say Sykes would disappear to with all of his wages during the first year of their marriage?
(a) Myrtle Beach.
(b) Sarasota.
(c) Tampa.
(d) Orlando.

8. When one of the men's wives had repelled Sykes's advances, she had told him that Delia worked so hard that she bet everything in the house tasted like sweat and what?
(a) Grime.
(b) Mud.
(c) Lye.
(d) Soapsuds.

9. How long after their wedding had Sykes brutally beaten Delia?
(a) Two months.
(b) Three months.
(c) Two years.
(d) Three years.

10. Against what object does Sykes strike his match?
(a) The fireplace mantel.
(b) The sole of his boot.
(c) The matchbox.
(d) His corduroy breeches.

11. What simile does Hurston use to characterize Delia's throwing off of her most habitual character trait?
(a) Like an old snakeskin.
(b) Like a lace collar.
(c) Like a swatch of chiffon.
(d) Like a blown scarf.

12. What does the narrator say that Delia is able to "build...against her husband" (3) after she decides that he will reap what he sows?
(a) A wall of hatred.
(b) A decadent shroud.
(c) A code of silence.
(d) A spiritual earthworks.

13. When the narrator states that Delia lies awake thinking about debris cluttering a certain kind of trail, what adjective is used to describe that trail?
(a) Lonely.
(b) Familial.
(c) Philosophical.
(d) Matrimonial.

14. For how long has Delia been doing people's laundry to bring in money?
(a) 10 years.
(b) 20 years.
(c) 15 years.
(d) 7 years.

15. What "habitual" character trait of Delia's seems "to slip from her shoulders" (1) after Sykes threatens her with physical violence?
(a) Ease.
(b) Meekness.
(c) Humility.
(d) Honesty.

Short Answer Questions

1. What object does Delia pick up immediately after Sykes threatens her in the kitchen?

2. For what purpose does the narrator say Delia had built and improved upon her little home?

3. What does Delia say she had brought to her marriage to Sykes?

4. What adjective does Sykes use to describe Delia just before he steps into the room where she is sorting laundry?

5. What gesture does Delia make toward the men on Joe's porch as she passes by?

(see the answer keys)

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