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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 does the crow dream about in 'Crows and Owls'?

2. What springs up behind John Chapman as he wanders in 'John Chapman'?

3. How did Isaac go missing in 'The Lost Children'?

4. What does John Chapman always try to honor in 'John Chapman'?

5. What kind of home does the blue heron leave to find in 'A Poem For the Blue Heron'?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the ironic idea included in 'Mushrooms'?

2. What does the first snow do to familiar things in the poem 'First Snow'?

3. In 'First Snow', what is brought about by the first snow?

4. What is 'Ghosts' really about?

5. What does the narrator say about the trees at the Boston Hospital in 'University Hospital, Boston'?

6. What kind of annoyances does the narrator of 'Egrets' face while going to see the egrets?

7. How do most people feel about vultures according to the narrator of 'Vultures'?

8. What does the narrator think about while watching nature in Flamingo?

9. What does the narrator see before leaving the hospital in 'University Hospital, Boston'?

10. What are the vultures in 'Vultures' compared to in an ironic analogy?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In 'Crossing the Swamp' Oliver talks about how trials and hardships have shaped her life. What are some of the ways her life was shaped by these things, and how did she present these ideas in this poem.

Essay Topic 2

Many of these poems dealt with Oliver's thoughts about the treatment of Indians. What are some of the main incidents of this, and how was her tone and opinion presented in these poems?

Essay Topic 3

Who was John Chapman, and how did he change the history and landscape of America?

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