diff --git a/Lib/test/test_epoll.py b/Lib/test/test_epoll.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_epoll.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_epoll.py
@@ -71,16 +71,18 @@ class TestEPoll(unittest.TestCase):
             raise AssertionError(str(e))
         self.assertTrue(ep.fileno() > 0, ep.fileno())
         self.assertTrue(not ep.closed)
         ep.close()
         self.assertTrue(ep.closed)
         self.assertRaises(ValueError, ep.fileno)
         if hasattr(select, "EPOLL_CLOEXEC"):
             select.epoll(select.EPOLL_CLOEXEC).close()
+            select.epoll(flags=select.EPOLL_CLOEXEC).close()
+            select.epoll(flags=0).close()
             self.assertRaises(OSError, select.epoll, flags=12356)
 
     def test_badcreate(self):
         self.assertRaises(TypeError, select.epoll, 1, 2, 3)
         self.assertRaises(TypeError, select.epoll, 'foo')
         self.assertRaises(TypeError, select.epoll, None)
         self.assertRaises(TypeError, select.epoll, ())
         self.assertRaises(TypeError, select.epoll, ['foo'])
diff --git a/Modules/selectmodule.c b/Modules/selectmodule.c
--- a/Modules/selectmodule.c
+++ b/Modules/selectmodule.c
@@ -1247,34 +1247,32 @@ pyepoll_internal_close(pyEpoll_Object *s
         if (close(epfd) < 0)
             save_errno = errno;
         Py_END_ALLOW_THREADS
     }
     return save_errno;
 }
 
 static PyObject *
-newPyEpoll_Object(PyTypeObject *type, int sizehint, int flags, SOCKET fd)
+newPyEpoll_Object(PyTypeObject *type, int sizehint, SOCKET fd)
 {
     pyEpoll_Object *self;
 
     assert(type != NULL && type->tp_alloc != NULL);
     self = (pyEpoll_Object *) type->tp_alloc(type, 0);
     if (self == NULL)
         return NULL;
 
     if (fd == -1) {
         Py_BEGIN_ALLOW_THREADS
 #ifdef HAVE_EPOLL_CREATE1
-        flags |= EPOLL_CLOEXEC;
-        if (flags)
-            self->epfd = epoll_create1(flags);
-        else
+        self->epfd = epoll_create1(EPOLL_CLOEXEC);
+#else
+        self->epfd = epoll_create(sizehint);
 #endif
-        self->epfd = epoll_create(sizehint);
         Py_END_ALLOW_THREADS
     }
     else {
         self->epfd = fd;
     }
     if (self->epfd < 0) {
         Py_DECREF(self);
         PyErr_SetFromErrno(PyExc_OSError);
@@ -1300,18 +1298,22 @@ pyepoll_new(PyTypeObject *type, PyObject
 
     if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kwds, "|ii:epoll", kwlist,
                                      &sizehint, &flags))
         return NULL;
     if (sizehint < 0) {
         PyErr_SetString(PyExc_ValueError, "negative sizehint");
         return NULL;
     }
+    if (flags && flags != EPOLL_CLOEXEC) {
+        PyErr_SetString(PyExc_OSError, "invalid flags");
+        return NULL;
+    }
 
-    return newPyEpoll_Object(type, sizehint, flags, -1);
+    return newPyEpoll_Object(type, sizehint, -1);
 }
 
 
 static void
 pyepoll_dealloc(pyEpoll_Object *self)
 {
     (void)pyepoll_internal_close(self);
     Py_TYPE(self)->tp_free(self);
@@ -1359,17 +1361,17 @@ Return the epoll control file descriptor
 static PyObject*
 pyepoll_fromfd(PyObject *cls, PyObject *args)
 {
     SOCKET fd;
 
     if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "i:fromfd", &fd))
         return NULL;
 
-    return newPyEpoll_Object((PyTypeObject*)cls, FD_SETSIZE - 1, 0, fd);
+    return newPyEpoll_Object((PyTypeObject*)cls, FD_SETSIZE - 1, fd);
 }
 
 PyDoc_STRVAR(pyepoll_fromfd_doc,
 "fromfd(fd) -> epoll\n\
 \n\
 Create an epoll object from a given control fd.");
 
 static PyObject *