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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 occurs once at sunrise and once at sunset, according to Whitman as he describes nature?

2. At the time of freedom, the soul can emerge fully and ponder the _________ one loves best.

3. ___________ asks the soul to follow into an unknown territory without a guide and without a map.

4. Whitman says that he often looks up at the perfect __________ of the stars during walks in the night.

5. Whitman says that not a disembodied _________ can the weapons of tyrants let loose, but it stalks invisibly.

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What is the lesson of the ebb of the ocean, according to the poem of Whitman?

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

4. What does Whitman point out happens no matter how many advancements science has made?

5. What does the poem "Passage to India" have to share about this country and about its progress in the world?

6. Why does the young man ring the ocean bell when he is steering the boat during the treacherous weather?

7. Why is an old man in the poem "Prayers of Columbus" too full of woe, according to Whitman's poem?

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

9. What is the procession of the people into the theater, one of many on Broadway, used as a metaphor for in "A Broadway Pageant"?

10. Whose philosophies does Whitman respect without any exceptions, according to the writing?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Whitman could be described as being appreciative of people, in all of their forms.

Part 1: Why do you think writers are so appreciative of people and their many forms?

Part 2: How do you think people are done a service by being described by poets and writers?

Part 3: Do you think people are the most important sources of inspiration for writers?

Essay Topic 2

The poet does not seem to be afraid of mortality, choosing instead to look at it as a mysterious entity.

Part 1: Why do you think Whitman is not afraid of dying as so many other people are?

Part 2: How do you feel about the idea of your own mortality?

Part 3: Do you think that it's better to fear mortality or to embrace this facet of the human existence? Why?

Essay Topic 3

Whitman points out that the inhabitants of America want nothing more than to be unique and to have their own identity.

Part 1: How would you describe the idea of being unique?

Part 2: Do you feel it is important for you to have your own identity?

Part 3: Why is it so important for people to create their own identity in the world? Or isn't it?

(see the answer keys)

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