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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. "December 30" in The Pill versus The Springhill Mine Disaster cites what time in the morning?

2. What is the girl wearing in "Mating Saliva" from The Pill versus The Springhill Mine Disaster?

3. What is the glass square surrounded by in "The Fever Monument" in The Pill versus The Springhill Mine Disaster?

4. Where does the kid have "Star Spangled" nails in The Pill versus The Springhill Mine Disaster?

5. What does Brautigan write he wants to shower him with maps in "Map Shower" in The Pill versus The Springhill Mine Disaster?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. What is referred to in the poem "1942" from The Pill Versus the Springhill Mine Disaster?

6. Describe the simplicity of the poem "November 3." What is Brautigan's subject in this poem?

7. What imagery is used in the poem, "The Winos on Potrero Hill"?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the three principle settings of Trout Fishing in America. How are the settings tied to the novel's themes?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the structure of Richard Brautigan's poetry. Define and identify the following using the poems as examples: rhyme, meter, assonance, and alliteration.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Richard Brautigan's use of imagery in the novel Trout Fishing in America. What notable similes and metaphors does the author implement? Define these terms in your answer.

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