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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. How does Oliver describe the sound of snowflakes?

2. What animal is featured in At Round Pond?

3. In How Would You Live Then, what does Oliver say gives prayers?

4. Which of these is a line from Seven White Butterflies?

5. In Mindful, what does Oliver say she sees everyday?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Oliver say spring is like for humans?

2. In Mindful, what does Oliver say she sees everyday?

3. What are the two extremes Oliver describes about her life in Long Afternoon at the Edge of Sister Pond?

4. In Grass, what does Oliver say nature does?

5. What is Many Miles about?

6. How does Oliver describe the spirit in The Soul At Last?

7. What is the main message of Song of the Builders?

8. In While I am Writing a Poem to Celebrate Summer, the Meadowlark Begins to Sing, what does Oliver compare the meadowlark's song to?

9. What is the poet amazed by in Mindful?

10. How does Oliver describe letters in Forty Years?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Solitude was something that Mary Oliver sought for often in this book. Where did she find it, and how did this solitude affect her writing style?

Essay Topic 2

This book takes place in a few different settings. Describe some of these settings and why you think Oliver chose to place these poems in those settings.

Essay Topic 3

What are some of the relationships spoken about in these poems, and what do they reveal about Mary Oliver's personality?

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