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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 'Listen, Lord,' what does the speaker say the preacher's imagination should be cleaned with?

2. In the poem 'Listen, Lord,' how does the speaker want the preacher to deliver the word of God?

3. What does the prodigal son ask his father for?

4. Who else, besides the woman, sees Death in 'Go Down Death'?

5. What does the 'Listen, Lord' speaker want bestowed upon the preacher?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the poet describe the dead in the poem 'Go Down Death'?

2. Where is Jesus at the start of 'The Crucifixion' and who is with him?

3. How does the son say his new life compares to his old life in the poem 'The Prodigal Son'?

4. Who will God judge on Judgment Day?

5. How does the preacher wish his words to be delivered in 'Listen, Lord'?

6. How does the God describe the sinners in 'Judgment Day'? What will they wear? What animal does he refer to them as?

7. How does Judas betray Jesus in the poem 'The Crucifixion'?

8. Describe what the poem 'The Creation' is about. Be specific.

9. How does Sister Caroline react to seeing God?

10. How long do the floods last in the poem 'Noah Built the Ark'?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose one of the characters, either Death or Sister Caroline, from Johnson's poem 'Go Down Death.' Discuss how that character enhances the theme of the poem. How does the character react to or personify death? How does the character react to Jesus?

Essay Topic 2

How does Johnson use dialect and dialogue in his poems? Site specific examples and discuss why Johnson makes the choices he does. What does it add to the poem?

Essay Topic 3

What is the significance of the rainbow at the end of Noah's voyage? Why does God choose to display a rainbow? Choose one other symbolic item in the poem 'Noah Built the Arc' and analyze it.

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