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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What time is cited in "Alas, Measured Perfectly" from The Pill versus The Springhill Mine Disaster?
(a) 5:20 p.m.
(b) 4:15 p.m.
(c) 3:43 p.m.
(d) 3:20 p.m.

2. For whom is "I've Never Had It Done So Gently Before" dedicated in The Pill versus The Springhill Mine Disaster?
(a) Emmett.
(b) M.
(c) John.
(d) Madeline.

3. What river does Brautigan write of in "Education" in The Pill versus The Springhill Mine Disaster?
(a) Klamath River.
(b) Mississippi River.
(c) Cold Pine River.
(d) Foxwoods River.

4. Which poem in The Pill versus The Springhill Mine Disaster reads "Every time I see him, I think:/ Gee, am I glad he's not/ my old man"?
(a) "Sonnet."
(b) "The Way She Looks At It."
(c) "I'm Hurting. She's Not."
(d) "Hair Breakfast."

5. What was the poem "San Francisco" written on in The Pill versus The Springhill Mine Disaster?
(a) A paper bag.
(b) A wall.
(c) A paper plate.
(d) A bathroom stall.

Short Answer Questions

1. "Widow's Lament" in The Pill versus The Springhill Mine Disaster says that it is not quite cold enough to ask the neighbors for what?

2. What does Brautigan say he saw crucified on a barbed-wire fence in "The Double-Bed Dream Gallows" from The Pill versus The Springhill Mine Disaster?

3. What time does Brautigan write is "correct time:/ with your long blonde hair" in "The Shenevertakesherwatchoff Poem" dedicated in The Pill versus The Springhill Mine Disaster?

4. What does one of the players have in "Poker Star" from The Pill Versus The Springhill Mine Disaster?

5. Brautigan writes "The Fever Monument" in The Pill versus The Springhill Mine Disaster while poet-in-residence at what university?

Short Essay Questions

1. What similes and metaphors are used in the poem "Sonnet" from The Pill Versus the Springhill Mine Disaster?

2. What is the emotional state of Brautigan in the poem "Boo, Forever"?

3. Discuss the tone of the poem "The Return of the Rivers." What does Brautigan describe here?

4. How does Brautigan's poetry in The Pill Versus the Springhill Mine Disaster differ from his prose in In Watermelon Sugar?

5. Describe the subject of the poem "All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace." What does Brautigan hope for in this poem?

6. In which poem does Brautigan refer to the Hindenberg Disaster? How?

7. What qualities are outstanding in the poems of Brautigan in terms of imagery?

8. In what poems from The Pill Versus the Springhill Mine Disaster does Brautigan reflect personal thoughts?

9. What is the poem "Star-Spangled' Nails" about?

10. Describe Brautigan's use of nonsensical, surreal imagery in the poem "Yes, the Fish Music." What is the purpose of the imagery?

(see the answer keys)

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