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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 Horns of the Morning," what does the poet say the mornings are bright with?

2. In the poem "Arrivals, Departures," what line is in parentheses?

3. In the poem "The Dancer," what elements does the dancer contemplate imitating?

4. What line is repeated in "All Catches Alight"?

5. What pleases the narrator in the poem "Church Going"?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Livings," where is the narrator? Why does he go there?

2. Why does the narrator say that home is sad in the poem "Home is so Sad"? Name at least two household objects the narrator talks about in the poem.

3. In "A Writer," what gift did the writer possess? How was the narrator different from other people then?

4. In "Breadfruit," what do the boys dream of? Where do these visions end?

5. Where is the narrator in the poem "Spring"? How does the narrator characterize Spring?

6. In the poem "Within the Dream," of what does the narrator dream? What is his reaction to this dream?

7. In the poem "Deceptions," what is the epigraph about? What does the narrator say to his subject in the poem?

8. In "Femmes Damnes," what is the photograph of? What is the only sound heard?

9. In the poem "Love Songs in an Age," what object(s) did the woman keep? What does this do for the woman?

10. In the poem "Broadcast," what popular figure is on television? What does the narrator notice was dropped?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In contrast to the topic of loneliness, the theme of the desire to be alone is prevalent in Larkin's poetry. Write an essay using at least two examples of this theme in the collection "The Less Deceived."

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Memories play an important role in Larkin's poetry. Write an essay on the theme of memories in the collection "The Less Deceived." Make sure you use at least two poems in your argument.

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