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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 does the water turn to according to the metaphor in 'A Poem For the Blue Heron'?

2. What do the birds decide not to do in the winter in 'A Poem for the Blue Heron'?

3. How long does the storm in 'Lightning' last?

4. What is the narrator unsure she can do in 'Web'?

5. What does the narrator of 'Clapp's Pond' do when it starts to rain?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do the Sioux say about ghosts in the poem 'Ghosts'?

2. What does the alligator in 'Postcard From Flamingo' do?

3. Where does personification fit in 'Lightning'?

4. What is the central theme in the first four poems?

5. What is the ironic idea included in 'Mushrooms'?

6. How do most people feel about vultures according to the narrator of 'Vultures'?

7. What sound does the narrator describe at the beginning of 'Postcard from Flamingo'?

8. What does the narrator's companion tell her over and over while at the hospital in 'University Hospital, Boston'?

9. What does the narrator say about the trees at the Boston Hospital in 'University Hospital, Boston'?

10. What kind of annoyances does the narrator of 'Egrets' face while going to see the egrets?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Oliver puts a huge emphasis on optimism in many of these poems. Which poems presented this idea, and how did they differ in the way each presented this theme?

Essay Topic 2

What happened to the 'Lost Children', and what were some of the theories Oliver had about these circumstances.

Essay Topic 3

Diversity was a major theme in this book as many different lifestyles and ranks in society were described. How was this theme shown in this book, and why do you think the author felt it was so important?

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