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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. Do the poet's descriptive words and vivid imagery effectively describe the distinct light of the firefly?

2. What do mayflies and fireflies have in common?

3. According to this poem, what else do the moth and the book lice have in common?

4. To what else does the poet also compare the firefly?

5. According to this poem, what do the book lice and the moth have in common?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the poet use words to make the movement of the firefly more exciting and vivid? Do you think this is effective? Why or why not?

2. What is the purpose of this book?

3. How are these lice like people?

4. Describe the grasshoppers in "Grasshoppers" and the water striders in "Water Striders." How do they compare?

5. What mood is created by the behavior of the water striders? Why?

6. What might be the real purpose for a firefly's light? Why do you think this?

7. How does the mayfly's perception of time compare to our own?

8. How would you describe a firefly to someone who has never seen one?

9. If you were to write a poem, what would it be about? Why?

10. What is the purpose of "Book Lice?"

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Some of the insects' actions are described.

Part 1) What poems focus on action? Whose action is the focus? Why is this the focus? What does this reveal about this insect?

Part 2) How do the other poems contrast these very active poems? Why does this contrast exist? What does this reveal about the insects?

Part 3) How is action connected to the mood of the poem? How important is the mood of the poem? Explain. Is the mood of a story important to every story? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

The poet chooses to write a book about insects.

Part 1) What might be the poet's opinion of insects? How does this book reflect this?

Part 2) What might have been the poet's purpose for writing these poems? What other subjects might the poet be interested in? Why?

Part 3) If you were to write a book of poetry, about what would you write? Why? How might this affect those who would read your poems? Why?

Essay Topic 3

A theme of this book is the focus on the insects' unique qualities.

Part 1) What are the unique qualities of each of the insects? How does the poet describe these unique qualities and make them stand out to the reader? What is his purpose for doing this?

Part 2) What is the most frequent quality described in this book? Support your response with proof from the book. Why might the poet have frequently focused on this quality? How can humans relate to this quality?

Part 3) How might reading about these unique qualities affect the reader? How might the reader's view of insects change because of these unique qualities? How do these qualities help you identify with the insects?

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