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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. Hugo believes that if if a good poem comes out as a result of the triggering town, the town will become the poet's _____.

2. Hugo tells the poet not to worry about _____ when writing.

3. What is the divorce rate in the town in one assumption?

4. Hugo advises that the hard work put in on the first poem is responsible for the _____ of the second.

5. All the poets that Hugo knows have an unusually strong _____.

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Hugo's impression of Roethke's demeanor?

2. Describe the schoolhouse in the triggering town and who teaches there.

3. How does Roethke read a poem, and what does Hugo say is the effect it has on students?

4. Why does Hugo say to "think small" when writing a poem?

5. What does the hermit in one assumption do to fill his days?

6. What happens to Hugo when he lives in New York in one assumption?

7. Describe the function of assumptions in the triggering town.

8. What is the nature of the initiating subject?

9. How does Hugo think Roethke's teaching would affect modern students (at the time the book was written)?

10. Is anybody insane in the triggering town?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What are Hugo's thoughts on having a stance in writing a poem? What examples does he give regarding stance and how does the presence or absence of a stance determine the poem's effectiveness?

Essay Topic 2

What are Hugo's views on whether or not good writing can actually be taught? What is the role of a good teacher?

Essay Topic 3

How does Hugo feel about the relationship to reading and writing? How does this relationship affect the literary and creative writing departments at universities? Is this relationship considered a valid one by Hugo?

(see the answer keys)

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