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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. The two parts of the poem frequently do what?

2. Why might the cause of death of these insects be surprising to humans?

3. How does the queen spend her days?

4. What happens when the water boatmen reach their destination?

5. The digger wasp creates what for its children?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why are these insects compared to rowers?

2. How do "Whirligig Beetles" and "Requiem" compare?

3. Describe the whirligig beetle, based on this poem.

4. What is the mood of "The Digger Wasp?" Why?

5. How does this poem draw attention to nature and the life cycle of insects?

6. How does this mood in "The Digger Wasp" change? Why?

7. How could a person relate to a day in the life of the whirligig beetle?

8. What does "The Digger Wasp" describe? Why?

9. Compare the different types of honeybees.

10. What is the mood of "Cicadas?" Why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Mayflies live for only one day.

Part 1) How do they spend their day? Why might they do this? How do they feel about this one day? Are you surprised by this? Why or why not?

Part 2) How are many people like the mayfly? How can one relate to this creature whose life lasts only twenty-four hours?

Part 3) What is the lesson of this poem? What can the reader learn about how one should spend one's life, based on this poem? Why?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

The point of view of these poems is often from the point of view of the insect that is the main character of the poem.

Part 1) Support this statement with facts from the book. Why might the poet choose to have most of the poems from the perspective of the insect?

Part 2) What is a poem not from the perspective of one insect? From whose perspective is it? Why? How does this affect your view of the insect?

Part 3) How is perspective important in a story or poem? How does this affect the mood of the story and the readers' view of the story and characters?

(see the answer keys)

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