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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 do the "falcons of the inner eye" do in Poem 11?

2. In Poem 3, the poet writes of fur leaves and cobalt what?

3. What is the heart compared to in Poem 25?

4. In Poem 6, whose statue were they putting up?

5. In Poem 4, the poet writes of dead sunflowers and live what?

Short Essay Questions

1. Poem 3 of Chapter One describes other visions of America. What are they?

2. In the eleventh poem of Chapter One, in what way does the author describe the "Wild West"?

3. What does Chagall do in Poem 14 of Chapter One?

4. Describe the Christ figure in Poem 5 of Chapter One.

5. What happens in Poem 9 of Chapter One? What does the woman say to him in the poem? What is the mood?

6. What is the major theme of Poem 29 of Chapter One?

7. What is the juxtaposition of setting in Poem 19 of Chapter One? How is memory involved?

8. What is the statue described as in Poem 6 of Chapter One?

9. Detail the events which take place in Poem 8, in Golden Gate Park.

10. What is Poem 4 about in Chapter One? What imagery is used?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the structural elements of Poem 24 of the first chapter of the collection. What imagery does the poet use to describe "the beach of love"? How does the poet create the image of waves using line breaks and what is the significance of this?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the central character in the poem, "Meet Miss Subways." What year does this poem take place? What is the significance of the woman's race? Describe the setting of the poem.

Essay Topic 3

Describe the major themes of Chapter 1. Define the term "theme" and give examples of the symbolism and imagery the author uses to illuminate these themes.

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