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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. Where do the old people sit in "A Postcard from Chinatown" in The Pill versus The Springhill Mine Disaster?

2. Where are the stars described in "Poker Star" from The Pill versus The Springhill Mine Disaster?

3. Who was driving a Model A in "The Galilee Hitch-Hiker" from The Pill versus The Springhill Mine Disaster?

4. What type of dawn does Brautigan write of in "Your Necklace is Leaking" of The Pill versus The Springhill Mine Disaster?

5. What color light drips in "Your Necklace is Leaking" of The Pill versus The Springhill Mine Disaster?

Short Essay Questions

1. What theme permeates the poem "I Feel Horrible. She Doesn't"? What symbolism supports this theme?

2. What imagery does Brautigan produce in the poem "December 30"?

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

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

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

6. In what poem from The Pill Versus the Springhill Mine Disaster does Brautigan cite "Casablanca"? How?

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

8. What similes or metaphors are used in the poem "I've Never Had It Done So Gently Before"?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast the poems "Discovery" and "Star-Spangled' Nails." How do the poems relate structurally? Thematically?

Essay Topic 2

Describe Richard Brautigan's unique style of narrative in Trout Fishing in America. Define narrative voice and tense in your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss and describe Brautigan's use of symbolism and motif in In Watermelon Sugar. How does this compare to his poetry?

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