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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 is the subject of the poem "Blizzard" curled up like?

2. Which of the following comparisons does Atwood use for late poems in the poem "Late Poems"?

3. Why does the speaker in the poem "Salt" say it is tempting to "look back"?

4. Why do people give others souvenirs from vacations in the poem "Souvenir"?

5. What does the drone seem to wonder in the poem "A Drone Scans the Wreckage"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the problem with souvenirs, according to the speaker in the poem by the same name?

2. What kind of world exists in the poem "A Drone Scans the Wreckage"?

3. What is the poem "Betrayal" about?

4. Why should one avoid wearing cotton when making recordings, according to the poem "Princess Clothing"?

5. In the poem "Frida Kahlo, San Miguel, Ash Wednesday," where does Frida Kahlo live on?

6. What kind of people were the Scythians in the poem "Digging Up the Scythians"?

7. In the poem "Health Class (1953)," why does the teacher scare the students?

8. What does the speaker's mother in the poem "Blizzard" fight?

9. Why do people carve jack-o-lanterns in the poem "Carving the Jacks"?

10. How does the speaker in the poem "Passports" feel about aging?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Judging from this collection, what is Atwood's opinion and outlook on the future of the planet in terms of human influence on the environment? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

Which poems in this collection could be viewed as a sort of speculative fiction - a genre Atwood is known for - and why? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 3

How does Atwood use animals and insects to convey messages to the readers not only about the natural world, but about human nature, throughout this collection? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

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