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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who does Whitman consider to be dear and dreadful to the earth, as he writes in one of his poems?
(a) Sages.
(b) Truth tellers.
(c) Women.
(d) Beginners.

2. What is NOT a word which is used to describe the poets Whitman says are still to come in the world?
(a) Athletic.
(b) Honest.
(c) Native.
(d) Continental.

3. What kind of headsman stands mask'd, clothed in red, with huge legs and strong naked arms?
(a) American.
(b) European.
(c) Australian.
(d) Asian.

4. Whitman raises a _____________ hand to all who he mentions in his poem, making the signal to remain after him.
(a) Closed.
(b) Open.
(c) Perpendicular.
(d) Shaking.

5. Who does Whitman meet in the poem, "Eidolons," passing the hues and objects of the world?
(a) Child.
(b) Servant.
(c) Seer.
(d) Horse.

Short Answer Questions

1. The ___________ cheerfully braves the winter, says Whitman when he addresses this group, the snow and ice welcoming him.

2. Whitman believes himself to be as trustful to his poems as a father is to his _______________.

3. Whitman says that he was offering too long to feed his soul with __________, which was clearly not a good idea..

4. Once a state is fully enslaved, according to Whitman, no nation, state, city, of the Earth can resume its ____________.

5. To what does Whitman say he is near at hand with a throat to inflate itself and sing joyfully?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are some of the similar points of religions which Whitman points out for the reader?

2. What is so strange about the idea that Whitman is so fervently patriotic in the poems he has written? When was Whitman born in relation to the 'birth' of the United States?

3. What are some of the poet's feelings about the idea of mortality, according to the poems he writes?

4. Where was Whitman born, and how does that place affect him?

5. What does Whitman have to say about the pain of loving a man or a woman in great excess?

6. What does the author feel about the idea of being present in the here and in the now?

7. What does Whitman try to do for himself, instead of being completely engrossed by one belief system?

8. Who are some of the groups for which Whitman seems to have a particular affection in his poems?

9. What parts of the United States structure does Whitman have a lot of respect for?

10. What is one of the main criticisms of Whitman's poetry, as these graphic images come up in the poems quite frequently?

(see the answer keys)

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