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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 "From the Desire Field," how does "soy una sonámbula" function as an allusion?

2. In "The Mustangs," what is the purpose of mentioning the brother's "thin ankles" (35)?

3. In the page 1 lines, "when the war ended. The war ended/ depending on which war you mean," what technique is used to introduce ambiguity?

4. In "The Mustangs," what is the mother talking about when she mentions "slingshots" (35)?

5. On page 32 of "Wolf OR-7," what motifs from earlier poems in the collection recur?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the speaker's argument for her hands as "gods" in "These Hands, If Not Gods"?

2. In "The Mustangs," how are mustangs used symbolically?

3. In "Run'n'Gun," what life lessons does the speaker learn from playing basketball?

4. In "They Don't Love You Like I Love You," why does the speaker mention Beyoncé and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs?

5. To whom is the speaker alluding in the third strophe of "These Hands, If Not Gods," when she mentions "a sin worth hurting for" (7), and how does the reader know this?

6. In "Wolf OR-7," what metaphor is employed in the section of the poem where the speaker claims, "Some things cannot be charted" (32)?

7. In "The Mustangs," why does the speaker open the poem by reminding the reader that it was "In another life" that her brother was a high-school athlete (35)?

8. What is the setting of "Manhattan Is a Lenape Word"?

9. Explain the conceit introduced by the line, "I know another name for holy is water" in "Asterion's Lament" (27).

10. What is a literal summary of the action of "Blood-Light"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay that analyzes the "wounds" motif in Postcolonial Love Poem. How do wounds function at both a literal and a symbolic level, and what positive function do poems in this collection seem to suggest wounds might serve? Be sure to support your analysis with evidence from at least five poems in the collection.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay that takes and defends a position about the use of religious language, iconography, and concepts in Postcolonial Love Poem. Use textual evidence from at least five separate poems to support your claims.

Essay Topic 3

Write an analysis of the function of scientific terms in the diction of Diaz's poetry. You may choose to focus your analysis on one poem or on several; be sure to use quoted evidence in support of your claims.

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