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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 did Morrison want to be, as detailed by the poem that began "Fence my scared fire"?

2. Where did the people in the poem think they might be? (Poem 2- "Village Tapes")

3. According to the first poem in "Jamaica", who drove through the suburbs?

4. What kind of prayer did the poem call for to hope for a "strong plane landing"? (Poem 2- "Village Tapes")

5. What, according to the fifteenth poem in the "Village Tapes" section, would happen if "the writer can write & the farmer can sow"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is happening in the poem "Cassandra at the Well"?

2. What did the poem that began "Silver shaken in the gloom" speak about?

3. In the second poem from the "Drywater" section, what did Morrison say was happening in the schoolyard?

4. In the fourth poem from the "Drywater" section, how did Morrison bring religious imagery into the poem?

5. In the poem "Science of Night", whom is Morrison addressing?

6. What did Morrison say needed to be done about the situation that the pilots were in? (Poem 2-"Village Tapes")

7. In the fourth poem of the "Drywater" section, what did Morrison claim he was not?

8. In the first poem of the section titled "Drywater", how did Morrison describe the night?

9. What did Morrison claim that he had to leave? ("Jamaica")

10. Why did Morrison have the principal of the school holding his nose? ("Jamaica")

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Many times throughout the poems/reflections, Morrison used religious imagery. Discuss the religious imagery that Morrison used. What image did he use? How did it speak to the theme/mood of the poem? Why did the image work, or did it create confusion? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Given that the poetry shows Morrison's direct concerns and feelings regarding life, which poem do you believe shows the most truthful representation of Morrison? How did the poem illustrate Morrison as a man, a writer, and a legend? How did he feel about who he was?

Essay Topic 3

In a few of the poems, Morrison described relationships that he had with women. Discuss the different relationships that Morrison described in the poetry. What was the relationship based upon? How did you know this? How did Morrison feel about the relationship? About the woman? Use textual evidence to support your findings.

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