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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. Who does the poet refer to in the lines, "Take up the full beard/of walking anarchy"?

2. In "Autobiography," where was the poet when Rome was built?

3. "By the time they print your picture / in ________ / you will have become a negative anyway" the poet writes in "Junkman's Obbligato."

4. In "Junkman's Obbligato," the poet writes, "Empty out your pockets and _____."

5. How is "sister in the street" wearing her brassiere in "Junkman's Obbligato"?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Autobiography," to what animal does the poet compare himself? What has he seen?

2. Why does the author describe the poems of Chapter Two as "oral messages"?

3. What are the major points of "Autobiography"?

4. What is the poet's meaning in "The Long Street"?

5. Who is described in "Meet Miss Subways"?

6. What does the poet suggest to the reader in "Junkman's Obbligato"?

7. What is admirable to the poet about the dog in "Dog"?

8. What events take place in "Christ Climbed Down"?

9. Describe the pop culture and literary references the author makes in "Autobiography."

10. What are the prominent themes of "Christ Climbed Down"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Poem 8 of Chapter One describes a couple on a picnic in Golden Gate Park. What is the mood of this poem? What symbolism does the poet use? How do these reflect its themes?

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 reference to Congressman Doyle in the poem "Dog." Who was this figure in history? How does this figure connect to the author?

(see the answer keys)

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