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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 many of the poems in Translations?

2. What does the moose do in "The Moose"?

3. Why is the character's name so common in 'From "The Life and Death of a Severino'"?

4. For what was Fannie Farmer, as portrayed in "Lines Written in the Fannie Farmer Cookbook," most famous?

5. How does the crab in "Strayed Crab" view himself?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the double meaning of the phrase "family travelling through the flesh" in Drummond de Andrade's "Family Portrait"?

2. Which stanza in section XIV of "From 'The Death and Life of a Severino'" seems different from the others?

3. Why does the poet begins the section called Geography III with a geography lesson that throws a series of unanswered questions at the reader?

4. How is the character in "The Giant Toad" an exaggerated human figure?

5. How does the location in "Santarem" parallel the Garden of Eden?

6. What is the meaning of the simple, repeated incident in Drummond de Andrade's "In the Middle of the Road"?

7. How are the "Four Sambas" by Anonymous different from the rest of the poems in the book?

8. What are two meanings of the title "The Waiting Room"?

9. What do the various animals symbolize in "A Word with You"?

10. In Carlos Drummond de Andrade's "Infancy," why does the author refer to Robinson Crusoe as "the long story that never comes to an end"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Death is a common theme among the poems Bishop chose to translate, though rare among the poems she penned herself. Why do you think this is? Given what you know about Bishop as a writer based on the rest of the book, do you think this was a coincidence, or do you think she was attracted to poetry that dealt with death? What type of language does Bishop use when referring to death; does it vary from poem to poem? Does this section offer us any insight into her own thoughts about death, or only into the original poets' views on death?

Essay Topic 2

Choose three poems that employ metaphor and/or simile, and discuss Bishop's use of these poetic devices. How does she employ them? How do they contribute to each poem's effectiveness? How would the poems be different if these had been omitted? Compare and contrast the ways metaphor and/or simile are applied in the three poems.

Essay Topic 3

Describe Bishop's sense of humor as evidenced by her poetry. Is her humorous tone consistent across the various poems, or does it change? Why do you think she chooses a humorous approach in these poems? How does it make the poetry more effective? How would these poems be different if the writing were more objective? Cite specific poems to support your claim. Some poems you might consider include "The Man-Moth," "Lines Written in the Fannie Farmer Cookbook," and "12 O'Clock News."

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