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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 editor ask the speaker to do in the section of "Plasticene Suite" titled "Editor's Notes"?

2. In what way is a wolf courteous in "Short Takes on Wolves"?

3. What do we hear in the wind's plainsong at the end of "Improvisation on a First Line by Yeats"?

4. Who makes the machine in the section of "Plasticene Suite" titled "Sorcerer's Apprentice"?

5. What do people say instead of "no" in "At the Translation Conference"?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. What does the speaker in the poem "Little Robot" worry the robot might do?

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

6. What does the speaker think about the world in the poem "Walking in the Madman's Wood"?

7. Generally, how do the aliens act towards humans in the poem "The Aliens Arrive"?

8. What is the problem in the old story of the Sorcerer's Apprentice in the poem by the same name?

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

10. How does the speaker in the poem "Feather" make sure not to waste?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Atwood use animals and insects to convey messages to the readers not only about the natural world, but about human nature, throughout this collection? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

In general, how does Atwood portray women and girls in the poems in this collection? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

How does the last poem in the collection, "Blackberries," embody several of the themes and the overall tone of this entire collection? Write an essay explaining your answers.

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