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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. The water strider's ability to walk on water hints at what?

2. How do the water striders react to the consequences of trying to teach others to walk on water?

3. How does the poet help the reader relate to fireflies?

4. "Mayflies" describes the _________ life of the mayfly

5. What is the water strider's special skill?

Short Essay Questions

1. What might be the real purpose for a firefly's light? Why do you think this?

2. What story does "Moth's Serenade" tell? What does this explain about moths?

3. What is the mood of the book lice poem? Why?

4. What is the purpose of "Book Lice?"

5. Describe the grasshoppers in "Grasshoppers" and the water striders in "Water Striders." How do they compare?

6. To what can the water strider's ability to walk on water be compared? Why?

7. What is "Joyful Noise?" Why might the poet find this joyful?

8. How are these book lice opposites? How do they get past this?

9. If you were to write a poem, what would it be about? Why?

10. How are these lice like people?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

A theme of this book is the focus on the insects' unique qualities.

Part 1) What are the unique qualities of each of the insects? How does the poet describe these unique qualities and make them stand out to the reader? What is his purpose for doing this?

Part 2) What is the most frequent quality described in this book? Support your response with proof from the book. Why might the poet have frequently focused on this quality? How can humans relate to this quality?

Part 3) How might reading about these unique qualities affect the reader? How might the reader's view of insects change because of these unique qualities? How do these qualities help you identify with the insects?

Essay Topic 2

The tone of this book changes from one poem to another.

Part 1) Which poems give off a sense of chaos and frenzy? Why? How does the poet give the poems this tone? What tools does the poet use to create very different poems from these chaotic poems?

Part 2) How has the poet chosen certain insects to have certain personalities and characteristics? Do these personalities reflect the actual creatures? If so, how? If not, why not?

Part 3) Do you believe the insects are truly as the poet describes? Why or why not? What is the poets reason for giving the insects these varying personalities, opinions, and characteristics?

Essay Topic 3

"Requiem" is a unique poem.

Part 1) How is it unique? Why is it so different from the other poems? What is the purpose of this poem? How is this poem connected to all the other poems?

Part 2) What is the lesson of this poem? How can humans relate this to their own lives?

Part 3) What is a requiem? Why are requiems created? How do those who hear these requiems benefit from them?

(see the answer keys)

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