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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. Finish this line from the poem "One Man Walking": "One man restlessly waiting ______."

2. In the poem "This Is the First Thing," what sound does the narrator say time is?

3. In the poem "So Through That Unripe Day," what do the days lose?

4. In the poem "Kick Up the Fire," what causes instantaneous grief?

5. What is the subject of the poem "Going"?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Love," what is the difficult part of love? Who does love suit?

2. How many parts comprise the poem "The North Ship"? Where is the third ship going?

3. In the poem "A Study of Reading Habits," what does the narrator say reading helped him do? How does the poem end?

4. Who is the narrator of the poem "Wedding-Wind"? What emotion is the narrator feeling in the poem?

5. What is the narrator looking at in the poem "Lines on a Young Lady's Photograph Album"? What does the narrator say about the nature of photography?

6. In "The Building," what kind of building is the narrator describing? What kind of building does he compare it to?

7. What is the subject of the poem "This Is the First Thing"? To what does the narrator compare it?

8. What is the subject of the poem "Wants"? What does the narrator desire at the end?

9. What is the setting of the poem "Reasons for Attendance"? Where is the narrator? Why?

10. In the poem "Toads," what does the toad represent? What does the narrator say about himself in regards to this subject?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Memories play an important role in Larkin's poetry. Write an essay on the theme of memories in the collection "The Less Deceived." Make sure you use at least two poems in your argument.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay explaining the symbolism behind Larkin's use of the moon in the collection "The North Ship."

Essay Topic 3

Using the poems "Kick Up the Fire" and "If Grief Could Burn," write a compare/contrast essay on the nature of fire and grief in the collection "The North Ship."

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