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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 Poem 12, what did the painting cry at him?

2. In poem 2, where does the poet say "we" were sailing through the streets?

3. In Poem 22, what is Johnny's last name?

4. What is the repeated refrain in Poem 27?

5. In Poem 6, what wouldn't sing where the statue was being erected?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. How is life compared to a circus in Poem 17 of Chapter One?

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

5. What events take place in Poem 18 of Chapter One? How does the poet describe "the dreamer"?

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

7. What is the metaphor for a poet in Poem 15 of Chapter One?

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

9. What does the poet write about Beauty in Poem 10 of Chapter One?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the poem "Junkman's Obbligato" from Chapter Two. What is unique about the use of rhyme and meter in this poem? In what ways is the poem a rallying cry?

Essay Topic 2

Poem 2 of "A Coney Island of the Mind" begins, "Sailing thru the straits of Demos / we saw symbolic birds / shrieking over us." Describe the bird and animal imagery in this poem and how they relates to the poem's themes.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the examination of America in the poem "Autobiography." In what ways does the poet describe himself as an American? What does he juxtapose in terms of settings and imagery?

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