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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 kind of silence does the narrator say falls on the porch when Sykes and Bertha arrive at the store?
2. When Delia comes home and finds Sykes standing in the kitchen doorway, she says that her only two options are to stoop under his arm or to do what?
3. When Delia confronts Sykes at the dinner table about removing the snake, what two behaviors of his does she say she has put up with for many years?
4. What adjective does Old Man Anderson use when he says that Sykes has gotten too something to live?
5. When Sykes tells Delia that it is no use "puttin' on airs makin' out out lak" (6) she is feeling a certain emotion in response to the snake, what is that emotion?
Short Essay Questions
1. 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?
2. How are Delia's efforts to remain "blind and deaf" (5) to Sykes's adulterous actions thwarted?
3. What does Delia say is different about Bertha in comparison to other women with whom Sykes has had affairs?
4. Which elements of Bertha's character are disparaged by the group of men at Joe Clarke's store once she leaves with Sykes?
5. What is the significance of the snake baring its "scimitar" (6)-like fangs at Delia?
6. What is ironic about Sykes's statement to Bertha that the town is his and that she can have it if she wants it?
7. How do Delia's actions and feelings in regard to the rattlesnake change once she sees its fangs wrapped around the wire mesh of its box?
8. What is Hurston's purpose for alluding to Gethsemane and the rocks of Calvary during the period of conflict with Sykes?
9. What argumentative method does Delia use in order to convince Sykes that he needs to take the snake away from her home?
10. How does the snake's behavior change once it has taken two or three days to digest its large meal of frogs?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
What is the significance of the first scene in the story when Sykes frightens Delia with his bullwhip?
Essay Topic 2
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 3
Discuss the role of death within the short story Sweat.
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This section contains 1,046 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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