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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. In "Almost Evenly Divided," the author's life is nearly evenly divided between being Puerto-Rican and a what?

2. Who wrote "The Ants Are Using Sticks For Walls"?

3. In what poem by David Williams were his ancestors were thrown away as if they were nothing?

4. What poem did Leonard Nathan write in the collection?

5. Who wrote the poem titled "Stranded"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens in the poem "David"? What images are described?

2. What structural choices did the author make in "What Great Grief Has Made the Empress Mute"? Why?

3. What does the author miss in "Song of the Prodigal Son"?

4. What similes are described in "Other Lives"?

5. What question is the author asked in "First Grade"? What is the meaning?

6. Why did the author's mother throw out his underwear in "Emergency Situation"?

7. How is the "beloved" described in the poem "This Isn't Fair"?

8. How does the author describe death in "The Father, Who Could Not Swim"?

9. What was the world once filled with in "Last-Minute Message for a Time Capsule"?

10. How does the author describe his parents in "Leaving the Lights On"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the editor of "What Have You Lost"? Where does the poet live? What other works has she published? What common themes are seen in her works?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss the similes and metaphors in "Lens." How is the author's mother described in the poem and why?

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast the themes and structure of "The New Blade" and "Custody." How is family related in each poem?

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