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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through New Poems (2004 - 2005).

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What were the feet of the animal compared to in The Real Prayers are Not the Words, but the Attention that comes First?
(a) Butter.
(b) The Sun.
(c) Flowers.
(d) Sand.

2. What is the turtle in Mysteries, Four of the Simple Ones, doing?
(a) Teaching her babies to swim.
(b) Dying.
(c) Swimming in the lake.
(d) Burying her eggs.

3. What is the length of most of Oliver's poems in this collection?
(a) A few short stanzas.
(b) Just a few lines.
(c) Medium in length.
(d) Many pages.

4. What does the editor say new readers of Oliver will feel when they read the first section?
(a) They are in for a surprise.
(b) They will feel like they have always known her.
(c) They will be eased into the style.
(d) They will get sucked in right away.

5. How does Oliver come to a better understanding of human nature?
(a) She meditates.
(b) She looks to non-human examples.
(c) She talks to people of different ages.
(d) She observes the ocean tides.

Short Answer Questions

1. What poet did Oliver live with for a time?

2. What does Oliver compare picking the right words to in Mysteries, Four of the Simple Ones?

3. In Everything, what does Oliver say she has faith in?

4. What color were the eyes of the animal in The Real Prayers are Not the Words, but the Attention that comes First?

5. What does Oliver like to assign to inanimate objects in her poems?

(see the answer key)

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