View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What keeps the figurehead with the men at the end of the poem in "To a Ship's Figurehead"?
(a) The pieces that broke off of her.
(b) Paintings of her.
(c) Her beauty.
(d) Her history.

2. What does the poet say about mistakes in "Ode to the Book"?
(a) That they are necessary.
(b) That they are for women.
(c) That they are foolish.
(d) That they are funny.

3. In "The Marine Night," what does the poet want to burn with?
(a) Pain.
(b) Ships.
(c) Candles.
(d) Bonfires.

4. How long does the poet say the day will last in "The Long Day Called Thursday"?
(a) Until tomorrow.
(b) All year.
(c) He can't tell.
(d) A few weeks.

5. What does the poet say people must do to the past in "Past"?
(a) Honor it.
(b) Relive it.
(c) Learn from it.
(d) Get rid of it.

6. What color is the flag in "The Flag"?
(a) Black.
(b) White.
(c) Red.
(d) Blue.

7. In "House," what does the poet say existed before the earth?
(a) Water and air.
(b) God and faith.
(c) Moon and stone.
(d) Stars and sun.

8. In the second half of "Past," what does the poet say about people?
(a) How they work to remember the past.
(b) How they can't remember the past.
(c) How they love the future more than anything.
(d) How they are influenced by the past.

9. In "The Fisherman," where is the fisherman attacking fish?
(a) In a rock pool.
(b) Off a small dock.
(c) In the open ocean.
(d) On a river bank.

10. Why does the bird die in "Ode to the Yellow Bird"?
(a) From old age.
(b) From being poisoned.
(c) From being in a cage.
(d) From a hunter's bullet.

11. In "The Builder," where does the poet travel to?
(a) The mountains.
(b) Europe.
(c) The United States.
(d) The coast.

12. In "Poetry," how does the poet say poetry changed him?
(a) It made him a god.
(b) It made him more grateful.
(c) It made him worry.
(d) It made him elite.

13. What does the poet desire in "Bestiary"?
(a) To keep animals as pets.
(b) To become an animal.
(c) To work at a zoo.
(d) To speak with animals.

14. What is the race in "Lazybones"?
(a) A race to live the longest.
(b) A race to the moon.
(c) A race to cure cancer.
(d) A race to build the tallest building.

15. In "Memory," why does the poet say he must pay attention to the blades of grass?
(a) Because his wife asked him to.
(b) Because it will be his future home.
(c) Because it is his job to record everything.
(d) Because he was born from the grass.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why do the clothes in "Ode to Clothes" wait?

2. How does the poet know the people he visits in "The Unknown One"?

3. In "The Sea," what is the essence of the sea?

4. What season is it in "Ode to the Tomato"?

5. Where does the poet look for birds in "Birdwatching Ode"?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 504 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample