Sartoris MCQs

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Author: Nasir Iqbal | Assistant Professor of English Literature


Updated on: November 16, 2025
Estimated Reading Time: 16 min

Sartoris MCQs

1. Who sat with Old Bayard, the banker, in the bank office?

A. Bank cashier
B. Old Man Falls
C. Simon, the driver
D. John Sartoris

B. Old man falls.
Old Man Falls, described as a pauper, regularly visited Old Bayard in the bank office, shouting due to deafness.

2. What item belonging to his father did Old Bayard hold?

A. Ornate carriage
B. Charred pipe bowl
C. Silver pistol
D. Army musket

B. Charred pipe bowl.
Old Bayard held his father’s ornately carved, charred pipe bowl, bearing ineradicable tooth prints.

3. What words were visible on the bank’s street door shade?

A. Entrance Closed
B. Bank Closed
C. Come Back Later
D. Open Tomorrow

B. Bank Closed.
Old Bayard emerged through the door whose drawn green shade bore the words “Bank Closed” in cracked gold leaf.

4. What helped Old Bayard hear Simon better in the carriage?

A. Simon shouting
B. Simon’s singing
C. Carriage vibration
D. Hearing aid

C. Carriage vibration.
Simon’s long conversations were successful because the carriage vibration helped penetrate Bayard’s wall of deafness.
5. Why did Simon complain about young Bayard’s return?

A. Looked like trash
B. Wrecked carriage
C. Sold his land
D. Ignored family

A. Looked like trash.
Simon was upset because young Bayard was “sneakin’ into town” like trash, using the railroad his grandfather built.

6. What was choking the wisteria vine on the veranda?

A. A locust tree
B. An ancient ivy
C. A climbing rose
D. Kudzu vine

C. A climbing rose.
A rose trained on the same frame as the wisteria vine was slowly but steadily choking the other vine.

7. How did Elnora move down the polished hall?

A. Sibilant footfalls
B. Loud stomping
C. Slow humming
D. Quiet clicking

A. Sibilant footfalls.
Elnora came “sibilantly into the house” on her bare, lean feet, having been called by the Colonel.

8. What title did Carolina Bayard Sartoris hold under Jeb Stuart?

A. Colonel
B. Aide-de-Camp
C. Major General
D. Cavalry Captain

B. Aide-de-Camp.
Carolina Bayard served in Virginia as an A.D.C. (Aide-de-Camp) in General Jeb Stuart’s military family.

9. What reason did John Sartoris Sr. give for being killed unarmed?

A. Loved his enemy
B. Was tired of killing
C. Wanted to confess
D. Planned to flee

B. Was tired of killing.
John Sartoris told his son he would be unarmed because he was “tired of killing men” before Redlaw killed him.
10. What did Aunt Jenny find diverting about General Pope?

A. His military skill
B. His plumed hat
C. His nightshirt
D. His famous horse

C. His nightshirt.
Aunt Jenny stated that nothing ever seemed quite so diverting to Jeb Stuart as General Pope in his nightshirt.

11. What did Stuart’s troops drink after they raided Pope’s camp?

A. Coffee
B. Cold whiskey
C. Spring water
D. Wine

A. Coffee.
Stuart and his men captured General Pope’s breakfast camp specifically to obtain the needed coffee.

12. Where was Bayard Sartoris Sr. shot by a hidden cook?

A. In the head
B. In the back
C. In the chest
D. In the legs

B. In the back.
Bayard Sr. was shot in the back with a derringer by a cook hidden under a mess tent.

13. What distinct aroma did Simon bring into the dining room/office?

A. Old honeysuckle
B. Old toddy
C. Stables/horses
D. Fresh cigar smoke

C. Stables/horses.
Simon’s primary calling related to horses and stables clung to him, disseminating a faint nostalgia.

14. What did Falls say about a pauper’s house and John Sartoris’ pipe?

A. It was worthless
B. Unfit for it
C. Pipe was stolen
D. Bayard wanted it

B. Unfit for it.
Falls stated that the poorhouse was “no fit place for” the pipe that John Sartoris had once used.
15. What filled young Bayard’s throat when he remembered his plane crash?

A. Sour smoke
B. Vomit
C. Painful scream
D. Bitter fear

B. Vomit.
Bayard confessed that living through the crash multiple times before striking earth filled his throat with vomit.

16. What kind of building did the hill-man build on the beautiful lot?

A. A magnificent cabin
B. Architectural garbling
C. Small cottage
D. Stone monument

B. Architectural garbling.
The house was an “architectural garbling” but so imposing it possessed a kind of majesty.

17. Why did Miss Jenny usually leave Belle Mitchell’s parties early?

A. Disliked the hostess
B. Feared the husband
C. Miss Bayard’s toddy-time
D. Had too many secrets

C. Miss Bayard’s toddy-time.
Miss Jenny stated she had to leave because she would miss Old Bayard’s evening toddy-time if she stayed longer.

18. How did Narcissa appear when she joined Miss Jenny outside?

A. With grave serenity
B. With shy fear
C. With nervous anger
D. With haughty disdain

A. With grave serenity.
Narcissa brought with her “like an odor that aura of grave and serene repose in which she dwelt”.

19. What item did Horace Benbow bring back that he was worried about losing?

A. His dress clothes
B. Military helmet
C. Glass-blowing box
D. New dictionary

C. Glass blowing box.
Horace worried constantly about the box containing his glass-blowing materials, which he called “she”.
20. What was written on Horace’s military sleeve?

A. Captain’s star
B. Service stripe
C. Triangle symbol
D. Purple Heart

C. Triangle symbol.
A marine private remarked on the triangle symbol that was sewn on the sleeve of Horace’s uniform.

21. What did Narcissa say about Shakespeare’s lack of secrets?

A. Too difficult
B. Too long
C. Tells everything
D. Too old-fashioned

C. Tells everything.
Narcissa explained that Shakespeare “doesn’t have any secrets,” as he tells everything, unlike other writers.

22. What did Old Bayard record in the brass-bound Bible after John’s death?

A. John’s rank
B. John’s name
C. John’s virtues
D. John’s deeds

B. John’s name.
Old Bayard wrote “John Sartoris, July 5, 1918” and the wife’s name on a flyleaf.

23. What ailment appeared on Old Bayard’s face?

A. A small cut
B. A reddish bruise
C. A small hard wen
D. A bad rash

C. A small hard wen.
Old Man Falls spotted a “wen” on Bayard’s face that was “hard as a rock” and getting bigger.

24. What did Old Man Falls plan to treat the growth with?

A. Calomel
B. Axle grease
C. Quinine
D. Whiskey

B. Axle grease.
Miss Jenny raged that Old Bayard let the pauper daub his face with “axle grease and lampblack”.
25. How did Miss Jenny describe Bayard’s motivation for reckless driving?

A. Wanted to be killed
B. Wanted attention
C. Lacked sense
D. Loved speed

A. Wanted to be killed.
Miss Jenny believed Old Bayard rode with Bayard because he wanted to be in the car when the inevitable crash happened.

26. What happened when Dr. Brandt touched the wen on Old Bayard’s cheek?

A. It bled profusely
B. It fell off instantly
C. It hardened further
D. It began to sting

B. It fell off instantly.
Dr. Brandt touched the blackened growth and “the thing came off in his fingers” easily.

27. What was Dr. Alford’s main recommendation for Old Bayard’s growth?

A. Monitor its size
B. Immediate operation
C. Use Falls’ salve
D. Try a poultice

B. Immediate operation.
Dr. Alford insisted it should be removed “at once” due to the danger of it becoming cancerous.

28. What did Dr. Peabody’s practice use to require besides a saw?

A. A gallon of whiskey
B. A clean shirt
C. A team of nurses
D. A ledger book

A. A gallon of whiskey.
Dr. Peabody had practiced medicine when a doctor’s equipment consisted of a saw and a gallon of whisky.

29. What was Dr. Peabody’s usual fee for services in his younger years?

A. Legal services
B. Money payment
C. Meal or corn
D. Bartering medicine

C. Meal or corn.
Dr. Peabody accepted for fee usually “a meal of corn pone and coffee, or perhaps a small measure of corn”.
30. What did the blind beggar wear on his breast alongside the Liberty Loan button?

A. A silk cord
B. A small metal brooch
C. A Purple Heart
D. A colonel’s pin

B. A small metal brooch.
The beggar wore the Fourth Liberty Loan button and a “small metal brooch bearing two gold stars”.

31. What was V.K. Suratt’s job when he drove Bayard home?

A. Horse trader
B. Sewing machine agent
C. Cotton mill worker
D. Farm hand

B. Sewing machine agent.
V.K. Suratt, who drove Bayard in his Ford with the small cabin, was the sewing machine agent.

32. What was V.K. Suratt referring to when he mentioned his throat pumping?

A. Shouting loudly
B. Drinking whiskey
C. Choking fearfully
D. Trying to sing

B. Drinking whiskey.
Suratt tilted the jug, and his Adam’s apple pumped in relief against the wall of elder and willow.

33. What did V.K. Suratt say was wrong with the way he learned to chop cotton?

A. Too slow a pace
B. No shoes worn
C. Row was too long
D. Hoe was dull

B. No shoes worn.
Suratt lamented that he had to learn quickly because he “never had no shoes in them days, neither”.

34. What did the MacCallum family attempt to create with their fox pups?

A. Superior guard dogs
B. Hybrid hunting dogs
C. Fox skin coats
D. Strong work animals

B. Hybrid hunting dogs.
Jackson was trying to raise a new breed of dogs: “a hound’s wind and bottom and a fox’s smartness and speed”.
35. What was MacCallum’s brother Henry’s primary hobby/relaxation?

A. Fishing
B. Making whiskey
C. Card playing
D. Wood carving

B. Making whiskey.
Henry’s sole relaxation was secretly making good whiskey for family consumption.

36. What filled the mattress Bayard slept on in the MacCallum house?

A. Corn shucks
B. Soft feathers
C. Cotton batting
D. Sheep’s wool

A. Corn shucks.
The mattress rattled beneath him because it was filled with corn shucks, which shifted constantly.

37. What was the final destination of Flem Snopes after his career advancement?

A. Hotel owner
B. Bank vice president
C. City judge
D. State senator

B. Bank vice president.
Flem Snopes, who started in a restaurant, became the Sartoris Bank’s vice president three years earlier.

38. What did the anonymous letter writer threaten to do if Narcissa loved a man “unholy”?

A. Tell the police
B. Kill the man
C. Start a rumor
D. Leave town forever

B. Kill the man.
The letter writer explicitly stated: “If you unholy love a man, I will kill him”.

39. What did Narcissa do with the anonymous letters she received?

A. Showed Bayard
B. Tore them up
C. Locked them away
D. Mailed them back

B. Tore them up.
Narcissa tore up the letters, wanting to forget all about them, although Miss Jenny disapproved.
40. Who wrote the anonymous letters to Narcissa?

A. Eustace Graham
B. Flem Snopes
C. Byron Snopes
D. Harry Mitchell

C. Byron Snopes.
Byron Snopes, the bookkeeper, was shown composing the letters using code numbers with a young boy.

41. What did Horace say Belle Mitchell had asked him regarding his finances?

A. If he were working
B. If he were wealthy
C. If he had enough money
D. If he paid debts

C. If he had enough money.
Belle Mitchell asked Horace, “Have you plenty of money, Horace?” just before he fell asleep.

42. What did Horace describe the glass vases he made as being like?

A. Preserved flowers
B. Ancient sculptures
C. New toys
D. Broken glass

A. Preserved flowers.
He described the things he made as “sheerly and tragically beautiful, like preserved flowers”.

43. What kind of fruit did Miss Jenny want Bayard to help burn in his ceremony?

A. Fig preserves
B. Peach baskets
C. Quince jelly
D. Strawberry jam

C. Quince jelly.
Horace and Narcissa were separated “by a stùpid mishap of human affairs” when he went to Oxford.

44. What was the destination Bayard and Narcissa drove toward when he drove recklessly after his recovery?

A. An abandoned farm
B. John’s grave
C. The stone bridge
D. Memphis highway

C. The stone bridge.
Bayard drove the small car fast toward the stone bridge, recreating his recent accident scene.
45. What did the aviator lend Bayard before his fatal test flight?

A. A flight jacket
B. A silk scarf
C. A woman’s garter
D. A diamond ring

C. A woman’s garter.
The man lent Bayard a helmet and goggles, and put a woman’s garter in his lap.

46. What was the fatal theory behind the new plane Bayard flew?

A. External cables
B. Internal spring bracing
C. Unique engine
D. Extra fuel tanks

B. Internal spring bracing.
The plane was braced from within by wires on a system of springs to control maneuverability.

47. In which city was Bayard killed during his test flight?

A. San Francisco
B. Dayton
C. Chicago
D. New York

B. Dayton.
Bayard was sitting in the test airplane on the tarmac of the government field at Dayton.

48. How did Miss Jenny describe Old Bayard’s method of dying?

A. Quietly in sleep
B. From the inside out
C. Like a true soldier
D. With great fuss

B. From the inside out.
Miss Jenny felt Old Bayard died “practically from the inside out,” foreshadowing the Sartoris doom.

49. What was the final, chosen name for Narcissa’s baby?

A. John Sartoris
B. Bayard Du Pre
C. Benbow Sartoris
D. William Falls

C. Benbow Sartoris.
Narcissa insisted his name was “Benbow Sartoris,” choosing her family name to ward off doom.
50. What decorative objects bordered Simon’s grave, placed by others?

A. Plastic flowers
B. Broken crockery
C. Stone cherubs
D. Garden gnomes

B. Broken crockery.
Simon’s grave mound was bordered with tedious rows of broken, gaudy bits of crockery and colored glass.

Brief Overview

Sartoris is a novel by William Faulkner, published in 1929. It is a tragic story centered on the Sartoris family in the American South. The novel shows how a family’s romantic obsession with its violent, glorious past makes its present members unable to survive in the modern world.

The narrative is dominated by the memory of powerful, reckless ancestors, particularly Colonel John Sartoris, a Confederate war hero who was killed long ago. The present patriarch is Old Bayard Sartoris, a deaf, aged banker, who lives with his sharp, old great-aunt, Miss Jenny Du Pre.

Young Bayard Sartoris, the Colonel’s great-grandson, returns home from fighting in World War I. He is reckless and deeply haunted by the death of his twin brother, John, who was killed while flying in the war.

Young Bayard buys a powerful, fast car. He drives it dangerously, constantly seeking speed, violence, and destruction. Old Bayard often rides with him, deeply worried about his grandson’s self-destructive nature.

A quiet young woman, Narcissa Benbow, becomes close to the family. She is disturbed by Bayard’s behavior and tries unsuccessfully to stabilize him.

Bayard’s recklessness culminates in tragedy: Old Bayard dies suddenly while riding in the car with him. Following this, young Bayard travels abroad, continuing to seek danger. He eventually dies in an airplane crash, fulfilling the family’s traditional, violent fate. Narcissa later gives birth to his son. She names the child Benbow Sartoris, hoping that giving him a new name will protect him from the family’s destructive legacy.

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