View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Oliver try to avoid awkwardness in as she is writing?
(a) Abbreviations.
(b) Subject matter.
(c) Format.
(d) Symbols.

2. How is Oliver trying to establish the intimacy she desires in Work Sometimes?
(a) She is very open.
(b) She breaks down some barriers.
(c) She has some suggestive innuendos.
(d) She uses a conversational tone.

3. What is the main subject of Everything?
(a) Poetry.
(b) Transcendance.
(c) Love.
(d) Nature.

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

5. Which of these is a line from The Measure?
(a) No, not now.
(b) Hush, be still.
(c) What shall we do?
(d) Ah, it's time.

6. What does the editor say is Oliver's signature on her work?
(a) Her method.
(b) Her verbage.
(c) Her tone.
(d) Her description.

7. What does using nature in her poems allow Oliver to do?
(a) Broaden her range.
(b) Set forth an interpretation.
(c) Open minds.
(d) Accept responsibility.

8. What animal was featured in The Measure?
(a) A rabbit.
(b) An armadillo.
(c) A box turtle.
(d) A squirrel.

9. What does Oliver say about our lives in The Measure?
(a) They are watched over.
(b) They are purposeful.
(c) They are our right.
(d) They are blessed.

10. What does Oliver compare picking the right words to in Mysteries, Four of the Simple Ones?
(a) Threading a needle.
(b) Picking fruit.
(c) Growing a garden.
(d) Sorting money.

11. What was a joy to the animal featured in The Real Prayers are Not the Words, but the Attention that comes First?
(a) Speed.
(b) Wind.
(c) Knowledge.
(d) Victory.

12. What did the rain in Work Sometimes do to the flowers in the yard?
(a) Made them shine.
(b) Made them fragrant.
(c) Brought them out of the earth.
(d) Killed them.

13. What does Oliver want to celebrate in Mysteries, Four of the Simple Ones?
(a) Recognition.
(b) Information.
(c) Daily mysteries.
(d) Motivation.

14. What does Oliver say is NOT praying in The Real Prayers are Not the Words, but the Attention that comes First?
(a) Witnessing with the eyes.
(b) Seeing what has not been seen.
(c) Seeing and noticing.
(d) Observing.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Oliver use plants and animals in her poems?

2. What is Oliver trying to describe with the lilt in the words in Everything?

3. What does Oliver call the things in life that are not human?

4. What were the feet of the animal compared to in The Real Prayers are Not the Words, but the Attention that comes First?

5. How many poems are in the first section?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 453 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample