View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In "Ode to the Beloved's Hips," what twentieth century American movie is alluded to?
(a) Carmen.
(b) Raging Bull.
(c) Star Wars.
(d) 2001: A Space Odyssey.

2. In "Grief Work," what is the "black flower" the speaker mentions in the opening of the poem, on page 93?
(a) The pupil of the beloved's eye.
(b) The mark left by a bull's horn.
(c) The stinger of a yellow jacket.
(d) The speaker's sorrow.

3. In "Ode to the Beloved's Hips," why are pears, apples, and figs specifically mentioned?
(a) These are the fruits grown in the Garden of Eden.
(b) These are fruits commonly used as symbols of the female form.
(c) This is an allusion to a 20th century American pop song.
(d) This refers back to the earlier allusion to Alcinous.

4. In "I, Minotaur," the speaker uses the word "Minotauromachy." Where does this word come from?
(a) A work by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso.
(b) A Keats poem about a Grecian artifact.
(c) A Shakespearean play.
(d) The contemporary YA series The Hunger Games.

5. In "How the Milky Way Was Made," how many dams does the speaker say "shatter" the Colorado (61)?
(a) 15.
(b) 18.
(c) 3.
(d) 11.

6. In "Isn't the Air Also a Body, Moving?" what does the speaker compare breathing to?
(a) A magician's escape trick.
(b) The rolling of ocean waves.
(c) Using bellows to stoke a fire.
(d) The flight of a hawk.

7. In "It Was the Animals," what does the speaker's brother tell her she can read about on the wood he has found?
(a) The secret names of God.
(b) The true story of Creation.
(c) The "rules" for getting into Heaven.
(d) The end of the world.

8. In "Waist and Sway," what page 78 diction choice indicates that the speaker feels punished or oppressed by her desire for the woman?
(a) "Moths."
(b) "Alchemists."
(c) "Pillory."
(d) "Amber."

9. In "How the Milky Way Was Made," what does the speaker claim causes the milky appearance of the galaxy?
(a) Dust from the moon.
(b) Sparks from the sun.
(c) The quivering of her lover's body.
(d) The movement of fish.

10. In "Top Ten Reasons Why Indians Are Good at Basketball," what other Indian author is mentioned?
(a) Sherman Alexie.
(b) Louis Owens.
(c) Susan Power.
(d) Linda Hogan.

11. In "If I Should Come Upon Your House Lonely in the West Texas Desert," to whom does the speaker allude when she says "Each steaming bowl will be, Just right" (81)?
(a) The Frog Prince.
(b) Goldilocks.
(c) Snow White.
(d) Little Red Riding Hood.

12. In "How the Milky Way Was Made," what Western cities' use of Colorado River water is criticized?
(a) Sacramento and Tempe.
(b) Phoenix and Dallas.
(c) Denver and San Francisco.
(d) Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

13. In "The First Water Is the Body," what river does the author specifically discuss?
(a) The Colorado River.
(b) The Green River.
(c) The Salmon River.
(d) The Blackfoot River.

14. In "Ode to the Beloved's Hips," what is a "traje de luces"?
(a) The white robes worn by Catholic bishops.
(b) The flashy costumes worn by Mexican luchadores.
(c) The many-colored coat worn by Joseph in the Bible.
(d) The traditional clothing worn by Spanish bullfighters.

15. In "Grief Work," what does the speaker say she is giving up?
(a) Her future.
(b) Her culture.
(c) Her sorrow.
(d) Her desire.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "I, Minotaur," what does the speaker call "lilac-lit pools of ablution" (57)?

2. In "Top Ten Reasons Why Indians Are Good at Basketball," what nineteenth century America poet is mentioned?

3. What does "exhibits from The American Water Museum" warn that you "cannot drink" (69)?

4. In "The First Water Is the Body," what city's water crisis is specifically mentioned?

5. In "Snake-Light," what is the rhetorical purpose of mentioning the butterflies?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 648 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample