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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of the following is not a place Oliver says she wants to be while writing her poems in Everything?
(a) Her own house.
(b) A boat at sea.
(c) A spot of grass.
(d) A field of daisies.

2. What should one be transcending according to Everything?
(a) Restrictions.
(b) Nature.
(c) Barriers.
(d) Language.

3. What is the first plant talked about in Mysteries, Four of the Simple Ones?
(a) Corn.
(b) Barley.
(c) Wheat.
(d) Roses.

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

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

Short Answer Questions

1. How does the editor describe the language in the first section of poems?

2. What does the editor say new readers of Oliver will feel when they read the first section?

3. What kind of citizen did the poet call the animal in The Measure?

4. What does Oliver want to celebrate in Mysteries, Four of the Simple Ones?

5. How is the pond in Mysteries, Four of the Simple Ones described?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Mysteries, Four of the Simple Ones, what is personified in the last lines?

2. What did Oliver do at the beginning of The Measure?

3. In Mysteries, Four of the Simple Ones, what does Oliver ask about the blue heron?

4. In Mysteries, Four of the Simple Ones, what does Oliver ask about a catbird?

5. What did the turtle in The Measure do when Oliver stopped to help it?

6. What parts of grammar does Oliver say she wants to cherish in Everything, and why?

7. In Mysteries, Four of the Simple Ones, what does Oliver ask about a seed grain?

8. In The Real Prayers are Not the Words, but the Attention that Comes First, what is the bird doing at the beginning of the poem?

9. What did Mary Oliver compare the hawk in The Real Prayers are Not the Words, but the Attention that Comes First to when it was in the grass?

10. How did Oliver feel at the beginning of Work Sometimes and why?

(see the answer keys)

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