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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 does "the man's mouth" do in stanza 2?

2. Fill in the missing word from the 4th stanza: "In my _____ tonight I hear the question and pursuing answer" (12-13).

3. What are "lighting the yard" (3) in the first stanza?

4. What does the narrator repeat in stanza 2 in reference to the flowers she mentions in the first stanza?

5. What does the speaker say has happened to herself and her addressee in stanza 4?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the moon represent in the first stanza of "Mock Orange"?

2. Describe the first stanza of "Mock Orange." Who is speaking and to whom? What is she saying?

3. Where does the narrative shift in stanza 4? How do you know?

4. What word or words show the speakers feelings toward sex in stanza 3?

5. How would you describe the speaker's feelings toward men in "Mock Orange"?

6. How does tone change in the second stanza?

7. What do you think is the setting in "Mock Orange"?

8. Describe the author's use of enjambment in stanza 4. Why did she use this tool and how does it impact your reading?

9. What do the mock orange flowers represent in the poem?

10. What are the speaker's feelings toward her partner in the second stanza? How do you know?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay exploring the sound and rhythm of "Mock Orange." How is it used? How does it impact your reading?

Essay Topic 2

Who is the speaker of "Mock Orange"? How do you know? Use details from the poem to explain.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay exploring the central purpose of this poem. What response do you think the author hoped to get from her readers? Do you think she was successful? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 651 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample