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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 the one thing that Whitman says the President has not learned of during his life so far?

2. Who are the tan faced children who follow well in order and get their weapons ready?

3. What does Whitman say that one should hold up sternly in order for it to send something back?

4. Whitman was seized by a spirit, held by an _________self out of the pride which causes him to utter poems.

5. The combination of justice and God, according to Whitman, can be blended together to make an immortal ___________.

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why does Whitman pay homage to the young pioneers who forged ahead to find homes for themselves?

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

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

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

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

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

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

9. To whom does Whitman compare the country of old Ireland, in his poem to this land?

10. What does Whitman wish he had the chance to do for the United States as it makes its impact in the world?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

People are not always what they seem, according to Whitman, and few would disagree.

Part 1: Why do you think Whitman wanted to be clear that no one is what they seem?

Part 2: Do you think you would tell a lover or friend that you are not what you appear?

Part 3: How would you react if someone told you that not all is what it seems to be?

Essay Topic 2

Whitman talks a lot about the idea of democracy and how it differs today from the way it began.

Part 1: How do you see democracy working in today's world?

Part 2: Do you think democracy is an effective system of making decisions and governing people?

Part 3: Why do you think Whitman wants to talk about democracy in his poems?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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