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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. Which of the following is NOT a word Oliver says she wants to use often in Everything?

2. What does Oliver call most of her poems?

3. What does the editor say Oliver is NOT trying to do with the poems in the first section?

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

5. What animal was featured in The Measure?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did the hawk do at the end of The Real Prayers are Not the Words, but the Attention that Comes First?

2. In Everything, what kind of words does Oliver say she wants to avoid in her poetry, and what examples of good words does she give?

3. What is the main question Oliver asks in Work Sometimes?

4. In The Measure, what does Mary Oliver say her watched over life resulted in and why?

5. In Everything, where are some of the places Oliver states she wants to go when she writes?

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

7. What did Oliver compare the feet of the hawk to in The Real Prayers are Not the Words, but the Attention that Comes First?

8. In The Real Prayers are Not the Words, but the Attention that Comes First, what does Mary Oliver state the real method of praying should be?

9. 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?

10. What does Oliver state the reader has probably felt before in Work Sometimes?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What are some of the particular animals that were included in these poems, and what did their inclusion do to the tone of the poems?

Essay Topic 2

Friendship is a strong theme throughout the book. Where are some places that this theme appears, and how do these moments affect the tone of those poems?

Essay Topic 3

Mary Oliver has an incredible gift for creating touching analogies. What are some of the analogies shared in these poems, and what are their deeper meanings?

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