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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does the editor say Oliver is NOT trying to do with the poems in the first section?
(a) Make the reader think.
(b) Observe humanity.
(c) Surprise the reader.
(d) Observe nature.

2. In Everything, what are we told to do in order to truly grasp the idea of poetry?
(a) The unimportant.
(b) The temporary.
(c) The singular.
(d) Everything.

3. What is the name of the first section of poems in this group?
(a) First.
(b) 2004.
(c) New Poems.
(d) The Begininning.

4. What does the editor say there is an absence of in the first section of poems?
(a) Metaphors.
(b) Anachronisms.
(c) Inside jokes.
(d) Deep analogies.

5. What is the length of most of Oliver's poems in this collection?
(a) A few short stanzas.
(b) Just a few lines.
(c) Many pages.
(d) Medium in length.

6. In Work Sometimes, what does Oliver say happiness is?
(a) A job well done.
(b) Moments of peace.
(c) Usefulness.
(d) Work ongoing.

7. How does Oliver say Everything first came to her?
(a) A vision.
(b) A moment of calm.
(c) A dream.
(d) A quiet whispering.

8. What animal is featured in The Real Prayers are Not the Words, but the Attention that comes First?
(a) A gull.
(b) A hawk.
(c) An eagle.
(d) A falcon.

9. Why did Oliver choose the simple titles for her poems?
(a) To guide the reader.
(b) To leave the interpretation open.
(c) To make her thoughts obscure.
(d) To take the guesswork away from the reader.

10. What does Oliver observe at the end of Work Sometimes?
(a) Nature.
(b) Desire.
(c) Literature.
(d) Humans.

11. How are the poems in this book grouped together?
(a) By random order.
(b) By length.
(c) By subject matter.
(d) By publishing date.

12. What did Oliver do at the end of Work Sometimes?
(a) Took a nap.
(b) Went back to work.
(c) Closed her blinds.
(d) Ran for her life.

13. How does Oliver use plants and animals in her poems?
(a) They are her foils.
(b) They are her friends.
(c) They are her focal point.
(d) They are her distractions.

14. What kind of citizen did the poet call the animal in The Measure?
(a) Unknown.
(b) Shy.
(c) Voracious.
(d) Elderly.

15. Why does Oliver like to use her most common literary device?
(a) It comes easily to her.
(b) It broadens understanding of humans.
(c) It makes her work unique.
(d) It is a symbolic form of writing.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Oliver come to a better understanding of human nature?

2. How is Oliver trying to establish the intimacy she desires in Work Sometimes?

3. What is the turtle in Mysteries, Four of the Simple Ones, doing?

4. What did the rain in Work Sometimes do to the flowers in the yard?

5. What does Oliver compare picking the right words to in Mysteries, Four of the Simple Ones?

(see the answer keys)

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