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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 another mood of "Honeybees"?

2. What are the cicadas celebrating?

3. What are three words used to describe the whirligig beetle's movements?

4. "The Digger Wasp" tells of the life of a digger wasp as it prepares for what?

5. What else is reflected by what covers the pages of the poem?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What is "Requiem?"

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

4. How does the author use poetry and literary devices to teach about whirligig beetles?

5. Why might the digger wasp die before its young are born?

6. What is the purpose of "Cicadas?"

7. How are cicadas like a choir?

8. To what else could the water boatmen be compared? Why?

9. Compare the different types of honeybees.

10. Why are these insects compared to rowers?

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

There are many insect species described in this book.

Part 1) After reading these poems, to which species do you feel most connected? Why? How has this book changed your attitude toward this species? Why?

Part 2) Which species would you add, if you were the poet? Why? How might this species compare to those already included in this book?

Part 3) How do these species represent all insects? Are all types of insects adequately represented? If so, how? If not, why not?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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