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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 long did the author's friend say it would take for the hickory trees to be in full production in "Hickories"?

2. Who wrote the book The Hatred of Poetry?

3. Who wrote the book Public Figures that the author references in "The High-Fives from Strangers, Etc."?

4. What is the first bird the author describes seeing being fed in "Bird Feeding"?

5. Who created the film The Greaty Beauty that is described in "Joy is Such a Human Madness"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What delight does the author discover in "Umbrella in the Cafe"?

2. How is Don Belton described in "Flower in the Curb"?

3. What animal is described in "Not Only..."? Where is it described?

4. Who was Vertus Hardiman and why is he discussed in "Hole in the Head"?

5. How does the author describe his audience in "Weirdly Untitled"?

6. What does the word "negreeting" refer to in "The Negreeting"?

7. What literary references and allusions are made in "Writing by Hand"? What is their significance?

8. What is the setting of "Praying Mantis"? What atmosphere does it evoke?

9. What song is discussed in "Donny Hathaway on Pandora"? What is the subject of the song?

10. What kind of plant is described in "The Irrepressible: The Gratitudes"? What are the author's impressions of the plant?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Define and discuss the meaning of "delight." What is the etymological history of the word? What does it mean to you? How has its meaning changed? How does the author define it?

Essay Topic 2

Identify and discuss three examples of irony in The Book of Delights. How does the author use verbal irony for humor? What, if any, dramatic irony is employed? How is situational irony used? To what effect?

Essay Topic 3

In several of the essays in The Book of Delights, the author describes a scene that takes place in transit. How do these settings differ from others in the collection? What is symbolic about settings that are between two locales? How do the author's interactions in these settings differ from interactions elsewhere?

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This section contains 743 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample