diff --git a/Lib/test/support.py b/Lib/test/support.py
index 2130fd6..66ddf4b 100644
--- a/Lib/test/support.py
+++ b/Lib/test/support.py
@@ -1477,6 +1477,16 @@
     _filter_suite(suite, case_pred)
     _run_suite(suite)
 
+#=======================================================================
+# Check for the presence of docstrings.
+
+HAVE_DOCSTRINGS = (check_impl_detail(cpython=False) or
+                   sys.platform == 'win32' or
+                   sysconfig.get_config_var('WITH_DOC_STRINGS'))
+
+requires_docstrings = unittest.skipUnless(HAVE_DOCSTRINGS,
+                                          "test requires docstrings")
+
 
 #=======================================================================
 # doctest driver.
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_bytes.py b/Lib/test/test_bytes.py
index 89e2274..ba40915 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_bytes.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_bytes.py
@@ -986,6 +986,7 @@
         self.assertEqual(bytes(b"abc") < b"ab", False)
         self.assertEqual(bytes(b"abc") <= b"ab", False)
 
+    @test.support.requires_docstrings
     def test_doc(self):
         self.assertIsNotNone(bytearray.__doc__)
         self.assertTrue(bytearray.__doc__.startswith("bytearray("), bytearray.__doc__)
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_functools.py b/Lib/test/test_functools.py
index 270cab0..10868f3 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_functools.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_functools.py
@@ -287,6 +287,7 @@
         with self.assertRaises(AttributeError):
             functools.update_wrapper(wrapper, f, assign, update)
 
+    @support.requires_docstrings
     @unittest.skipIf(sys.flags.optimize >= 2,
                      "Docstrings are omitted with -O2 and above")
     def test_builtin_update(self):
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_pydoc.py b/Lib/test/test_pydoc.py
index c5a8e98..c7318ff 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_pydoc.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_pydoc.py
@@ -30,6 +30,14 @@
 if hasattr(pydoc_mod, "__loader__"):
     del pydoc_mod.__loader__
 
+if test.support.HAVE_DOCSTRINGS:
+    expected_data_docstrings = (
+        'dictionary for instance variables (if defined)',
+        'list of weak references to the object (if defined)',
+        ) * 2
+else:
+    expected_data_docstrings = ('', '', '', '')
+
 expected_text_pattern = """
 NAME
     test.pydoc_mod - This is a test module for test_pydoc
@@ -50,20 +58,16 @@
      |  ----------------------------------------------------------------------
      |  Data descriptors defined here:
      |\x20\x20
-     |  __dict__
-     |      dictionary for instance variables (if defined)
+     |  __dict__%s
      |\x20\x20
-     |  __weakref__
-     |      list of weak references to the object (if defined)
+     |  __weakref__%s
 \x20\x20\x20\x20
     class B(builtins.object)
      |  Data descriptors defined here:
      |\x20\x20
-     |  __dict__
-     |      dictionary for instance variables (if defined)
+     |  __dict__%s
      |\x20\x20
-     |  __weakref__
-     |      list of weak references to the object (if defined)
+     |  __weakref__%s
      |\x20\x20
      |  ----------------------------------------------------------------------
      |  Data and other attributes defined here:
@@ -95,6 +99,9 @@
     %s
 """.strip()
 
+expected_text_data_docstrings = tuple('\n     |      ' + s if s else ''
+                                      for s in expected_data_docstrings)
+
 expected_html_pattern = """
 <table width="100%%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 border=0 summary="heading">
 <tr bgcolor="#7799ee">
@@ -134,10 +141,10 @@
 <hr>
 Data descriptors defined here:<br>
 <dl><dt><strong>__dict__</strong></dt>
-<dd><tt>dictionary&nbsp;for&nbsp;instance&nbsp;variables&nbsp;(if&nbsp;defined)</tt></dd>
+<dd><tt>%s</tt></dd>
 </dl>
 <dl><dt><strong>__weakref__</strong></dt>
-<dd><tt>list&nbsp;of&nbsp;weak&nbsp;references&nbsp;to&nbsp;the&nbsp;object&nbsp;(if&nbsp;defined)</tt></dd>
+<dd><tt>%s</tt></dd>
 </dl>
 </td></tr></table> <p>
 <table width="100%%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 border=0 summary="section">
@@ -148,10 +155,10 @@
 <tr><td bgcolor="#ffc8d8"><tt>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</tt></td><td>&nbsp;</td>
 <td width="100%%">Data descriptors defined here:<br>
 <dl><dt><strong>__dict__</strong></dt>
-<dd><tt>dictionary&nbsp;for&nbsp;instance&nbsp;variables&nbsp;(if&nbsp;defined)</tt></dd>
+<dd><tt>%s</tt></dd>
 </dl>
 <dl><dt><strong>__weakref__</strong></dt>
-<dd><tt>list&nbsp;of&nbsp;weak&nbsp;references&nbsp;to&nbsp;the&nbsp;object&nbsp;(if&nbsp;defined)</tt></dd>
+<dd><tt>%s</tt></dd>
 </dl>
 <hr>
 Data and other attributes defined here:<br>
@@ -193,6 +200,8 @@
 <td width="100%%">Nobody</td></tr></table>
 """.strip() # ' <- emacs turd
 
+expected_html_data_docstrings = tuple(s.replace(' ', '&nbsp;')
+                                      for s in expected_data_docstrings)
 
 # output pattern for missing module
 missing_pattern = "no Python documentation found for '%s'"
@@ -262,7 +271,9 @@
             mod_url = nturl2path.pathname2url(mod_file)
         else:
             mod_url = mod_file
-        expected_html = expected_html_pattern % (mod_url, mod_file, doc_loc)
+        expected_html = expected_html_pattern % (
+                        (mod_url, mod_file, doc_loc) +
+                        expected_html_data_docstrings)
         if result != expected_html:
             print_diffs(expected_html, result)
             self.fail("outputs are not equal, see diff above")
@@ -271,8 +282,10 @@
                      "Docstrings are omitted with -O2 and above")
     def test_text_doc(self):
         result, doc_loc = get_pydoc_text(pydoc_mod)
-        expected_text = expected_text_pattern % \
-                        (doc_loc, inspect.getabsfile(pydoc_mod))
+        expected_text = expected_text_pattern % (
+                        (doc_loc,) +
+                        expected_text_data_docstrings +
+                        (inspect.getabsfile(pydoc_mod),))
         if result != expected_text:
             print_diffs(expected_text, result)
             self.fail("outputs are not equal, see diff above")
@@ -346,8 +359,10 @@
                  captured_output('stderr') as err:
                 helper.help(module)
                 result = buf.getvalue().strip()
-                expected_text = expected_help_pattern % \
-                                (doc_loc, inspect.getabsfile(pydoc_mod))
+                expected_text = expected_help_pattern % (
+                                (doc_loc,) +
+                                expected_text_data_docstrings +
+                                (inspect.getabsfile(pydoc_mod),))
                 self.assertEqual('', output.getvalue())
                 self.assertEqual('', err.getvalue())
                 self.assertEqual(expected_text, result)