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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 is the weather like in "The Mountain Climber"?

2. What does a teacher teach his students in "The Gallows"?

3. What can bad men not escape according to "A Song for Myself"?

4. Where does the poem "The Bard of Addis Ababa" take place?

5. What Indian tribe tied up the man in "The Ballad of the Rattlesnake"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the story of the sheep and the wolf in "The Dictionary of the Wolf" symbolize racism?

2. What is the significance of the the sign in "The Town of Fathers" that reads "The Blackest Land / And The Whitest People"?

3. Describe Tolson's vision of a poet in the "The Poet."

4. What historical events does Tolson believe tested the powers of Americans in "Rendezvous with America"? What was the result of these events?

5. Why does the teacher die in "The Gallows"?

6. What does Tolson mean when he suggests there is truth in death in "A Song for Myself"?

7. List two important, historical people that Tolson mentions in "Rendezvous with America." Why does he mention these people, and what did they contribute to America?

8. Why does no one listen to the hillman in the poem "Vesuvius"?

9. What is the poet trying to prove in his poem "Rendezvous with America"? How does he prove this?

10. Why is it important that Tolson does not identify the race of the person who tells the story in "The Ballad of the Rattlesnake"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One of the themes that reoccurs in Tolson's poetry is that of the hardworking every-man. Chose one poem where this theme is present and explain how Tolson presents it using imagery and symbolism.

Essay Topic 2

Explain the concept of a new black man. What is Tolson's definition of this term, and how does he present this idea in his poems. Choose two poems to defend your answer.

Essay Topic 3

What poem does the quote "The Blackest Land / And The Whitest People" come from? Explain the significance of this quote to the poem and how it explains the message of the poem.

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