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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. How does everyone act in O'Hara's vision of New York in "Steps"?

2. What action does O'Hara describe at the start of "Mary Desti's Ass"?

3. What emotion is O'Hara feeling at the start of "In Memoir of Sergei O"?

4. In what city does "For the Chinese New Year & For Bill Berkson" begin?

5. In "For the Chinese New Year & For Bill Berkson," what helps ease the terror?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the poem "St. Paul and All That" about?

2. In the poem "For the Chinese New Year & For Bill Berkson," where does O'Hara take comfort?

3. What is O'Hara trying to understand in "Pistachio Tree at Chateau Noir"?

4. What does O'Hara think of Georgia in "Memoir of Sergei O"?

5. Describe the dream O'Hara has in "Kamin's Dance Shop."

6. What is the poem "Cornkind" about?

7. What is the message in "Ave Maria"?

8. In what style is "Pistachio Tree at Chateau Noir" written?

9. How does O'Hara explain love at the end of "St. Paul and All That"?

10. Why does O'Hara think the world is coming to an end in "For the Chinese New Year & For Bill Berkson"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss how O'Hara's history as a musician and art critic influences his poetry.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss O'Hara's relationship with New York city. Choose two poems that convey different emotions about New York. How does O'Hara use words and imagery to convey that relationship?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the order of O'Hara's poetry and why he chooses to order them the way he does. How does the order of the poems present yet another way to analyze the poems?

(see the answer keys)

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