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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. What is the meaning of the word "fluster" in line 4?

2. What is the format of "One Art"?

3. Which is the best description of the tone of stanza one?

4. Which is a reasonable statement of how the punctuation and syntax of the final stanza affect the stanza's tone?

5. What kind of metrical foot is the most frequent in "One Art"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the form of "One Art."

2. How does the speaker's diction increase the emotional stakes as the poem progresses?

3. How does the change in stanza structure in the final stanza mimic the poem's changing meaning?

4. Which two verb moods are used in "One Art," and where are they employed?

5. To whom is the parenthetical comment "(Write it!)" addressed in line 19, and how does this comment impact the reader's understanding of the poem?

6. On the surface level, what is the main message of "One Art"?

7. What are the refrains employed in "One Art"?

8. What difference is there in the way the two refrain lines are repeated throughout the poem?

9. How does the speaker arrange the examples of things that can be lost?

10. What is the poem's dominant meter, and how is it regularly interrupted?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Do some more reading about Bishop's life, and then write an essay in which you demonstrate how understanding information from her biography clarifies some puzzling aspect of "One Art." You should clearly identify which element of the poem is puzzling--and why--before explaining how the author's biography might function as a key to unlock the mystery. Support your argument with both quoted and paraphrased evidence from the text, and cite your sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay that analyzes the significance of the title of "One Art." Support your argument with both quoted and paraphrased evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay that analyzes whether Bishop is the speaker of "One Art." Be sure to acknowledge arguments on both sides of this question before you ultimately make your case for one side or the other. Support your argument with both quoted and paraphrased evidence from the text.

(see the answer keys)

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