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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 crashes into the speaker's window in "Fatal Light Awareness"?

2. What kind of clothing did werewolves used to wear in "Update on Werewolves"?

3. How do the feathers fall in "Feather"?

4. What two things is "he" afraid of in "Fear of Birds"?

5. What happens in Part IV of "The Aliens Arrive"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the problem with plastics in the poem "Faint Hopes"?

2. What should have been inside the dead bird instead of plastic in the poem "Midway Island Albatross"?

3. What is the "bright side" of the modern era in the poem by the same title?

4. What are the two things "he" is afraid of in "Fear of Birds"?

5. What is the relationship between zombies and the past in Atwood's poem "Zombie"?

6. In quoting Rilke, what does Atwood say about poetry?

7. What play on words does Atwood introduce in the poem "Plasticene Suite"?

8. What does the siren wonder about in the poem "Siren Brooding on Her Eggs"?

9. What tense does not exist at the conference in the poem "At the Translation Conference" and why?

10. What are the advantages of having a spider in the house in the poem "Spider Signatures"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why does the health class teacher scare the girls in the poem "Health Class (1953)," and how does this poem explore the topic of aging? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

What lessons does Atwood convey to the reader in this collection using elements of nature and the natural world? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 3

What dual meanings and symbolism does Atwood assign to souvenirs in the poem in Part I by that title? Write an essay explaining your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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