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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 piercing through the storm, piercing and pealing as the storm rises up?

2. Who is in the curious trio with Whitman? This trio includes his _________ and his body, and himself.

3. Who does Whitman describe as sitting in the middle of the prison and causing a scene?

4. Though Whitman says he paints myriads of heads, he also says that he paints head without a ________.

5. "And there is ______ to us of all that has ever come of races and days, or ever will come."

Short Essay Questions

1. What is an endless source of inspiration for poetry, according to the poems which the poet has created?

2. What happens to the summer rains, according to Whitman's poem "Autumn Rivulets"?

3. To whom does Whitman appear to give his spirit to, though this person is never mentioned by name in a poem?

4. How is the plowman used in reference and as a metaphor for death in Whitman's poem?

5. Who are the phantoms to which Whitman refers in his poems about love being lost?

6. Why is it sad when one of the birds in a couple dies and the other one does not know it?

7. What does the song have to include in itself in order to be considered universal?

8. To what are the tides of the ocean compared to in life, according to the poems of Whitman?

9. What does Whitman question about the world when he sees the felons being shackled and held in the court?

10. What are some of the signs of spring that Whitman lists in the poem, "Warble for Lilac-Time"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author also repeats the idea that one should live in the now rather than dwelling on the past or on the future.

Part 1: Why is it so important to live in the now, in the present time and place?

Part 2: Do you think you tend to live in the now or do you live in other time periods?

Part 3: What might be some obstacles to living in the now? What sorts of problems may this way of living cause?

Essay Topic 2

Whitman believes that no matter what science can uncover, the soul will supersede it.

Part 1: Why do you think Whitman believes the soul is the most important part of the world experience?

Part 2: Why can't science be bigger than the experience of the soul?

Part 3: How do you feel about the importance of the soul versus the importance of science?

Essay Topic 3

The body is something which Whitman seems to worship as a part of his experience as being human.

Part 1: Why do you think Whitman is so fascinated with the human body?

Part 2: What are your feelings about the human body and whether it should be celebrated?

Part 3: Do you think that the human body is something which could be described as divine?

(see the answer keys)

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