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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 the poem "Maiden Name," what did marriage do to the woman?

2. In the poem "Waiting for Breakfast," what is the female character doing?

3. What is the subject of the poem "Going"?

4. In the poem "Is It for Now or For Always," what does the narrator call his lover?

5. In the poem "I Put My Mouth," what does the narrator tell the stream and wind they will not find?

Short Essay Questions

1. In the poem "Toads," what does the toad represent? What does the narrator say about himself in regards to this subject?

2. In "Story," where did the narrator move from his hometown? What happened as he grew older?

3. What is the poem "Wires" about? What kind of animal is mentioned in the poem?

4. In the poem "Ugly Sister," why does the girl go to her room? Where does she find solace?

5. What line is repeated in the poem "All Catches Alight"? What purpose does the repeated line serve?

6. In the poem "The Large Cool Store," what does the store sell? What is the end of the poem about?

7. In the poem "Sympathy in White Major," what is the narrator doing? What is he thinking about?

8. What is the poem "Tops" about? What is the thing that most appalls?

9. In the poem "To Write One Song," what does the narrator want to do? Where does he have to go in order to do this?

10. In "Going, Going," what is tougher than humans? How is it tougher than humans?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Using the poems "Kick Up the Fire" and "If Grief Could Burn," write a compare/contrast essay on the nature of fire and grief in the collection "The North Ship."

Essay Topic 2

Larkin uses nature often in his poetry. Using at least two poems, write an essay that explains his comparison of human characteristics vs. those of nature.

Essay Topic 3

Larkin uses flowers often in his poetry. Write an essay explaining two different ways that Larkin uses flowers in his poems. Make sure you use strong examples in your arguments.

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