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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. With what are the pages of the whirligig beetle's poem covered?

2. "Honeybees" is quite different from the previous poems. Why?

3. "Honeybees" is told from the perspective of whom?

4. Why is the answer to number 90 repeated in the poem?

5. How can the lives of the two different bees in this poem be described?

Short Essay Questions

1. How can the world of the honeybee be compared to your own world?

2. What is "Requiem?"

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

4. What does "Water Boatmen" describe? Why?

5. From whose perspective is "Honeybees?" Why?

6. Compare the different types of honeybees.

7. Why are these insects compared to rowers?

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

9. How are cicadas like a choir?

10. How is "Requiem" unlike any of the other poems? 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

"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?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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