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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. This book is made to be read by ___________ people simultaneously.

2. It is interesting to see from the mayfly's perspective regarding what?

3. "Water Striders" asks whether this insect's ability to walk on water is what?

4. The descriptive words and the use of ____________________ reflects the moths' intense feelings.

5. What do the water striders call those they attempt to teach to walk on water?

Short Essay Questions

1. If you only had twenty-four hours to live, what would you do? Why?

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

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

4. How does a mayfly feel at the end of its life? Why?

5. How are these lice like people?

6. To what does the poet compare fireflies? Is this a good comparison? Why or why not?

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

8. 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?

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

10. What does the poem "Book Lice" do for English literature?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

This book is filled with poems about insects.

Part 1) Why might the poet have chosen insects as his subject matter? What might have led him to choose these types of insects? What do these insects have in common?

Part 2) After reading these poems, how has your opinion of insects been altered? Why? Which insect is your favorite, after reading this book? Why?

Part 3) Why is it important to learn about insects? How are insects important to our world? How different would our world be without insects? Would it be a balanced world without insects? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

The tone of this book changes from one poem to another.

Part 1) Which poems give off a sense of chaos and frenzy? Why? How does the poet give the poems this tone? What tools does the poet use to create very different poems from these chaotic poems?

Part 2) How has the poet chosen certain insects to have certain personalities and characteristics? Do these personalities reflect the actual creatures? If so, how? If not, why not?

Part 3) Do you believe the insects are truly as the poet describes? Why or why not? What is the poets reason for giving the insects these varying personalities, opinions, and characteristics?

Essay Topic 3

"Requiem" is a unique poem.

Part 1) How is it unique? Why is it so different from the other poems? What is the purpose of this poem? How is this poem connected to all the other poems?

Part 2) What is the lesson of this poem? How can humans relate this to their own lives?

Part 3) What is a requiem? Why are requiems created? How do those who hear these requiems benefit from them?

(see the answer keys)

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