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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. In The Soul At Last, which of these does Oliver say the composition of the soul is like?

2. In The Soul At Last, what is Oliver writing about doing?

3. In Song of the Builders, what does Oliver think about?

4. In How Would You Live Then, what does Oliver talk about being an adviser?

5. What does Oliver wish to be at the end of Bleeding Heart?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Mindful, where does Oliver say she gets all of her teaching?

2. In Grass, what does Oliver say is the most important time of all, and why?

3. In May, what does Oliver say makes her feel most alive?

4. How is Prose Poem 2 worded, and what effect does this have on the reader?

5. What is the main message of Song of the Builders?

6. In Mindful, what does Oliver say she was born to do?

7. What does Oliver say we are all helping to build in Song of the Builders?

8. What does Oliver state she can't wait for at the end of Long Afternoon at the Edge of Sister Pond?

9. How does Oliver describe letters in Forty Years?

10. What is the main message of Daisies?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the main message being sent in Work Sometimes, and how is this poem different from the other poems in the first section of this book?

Essay Topic 2

How does Mary Oliver change through the progression of these poems, and what causes these changes?

Essay Topic 3

What are some of the main examples of irony from these poems? How do these moments of irony change the tone of those poems?

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