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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. According to the speaker in "To Be Somebody," where is there always room?
(a) In one's own mind.
(b) In another's heart.
(c) In dreams.
(d) At the top.

2. What does the speaker say life is as fine as in "Life Is Fine"?
(a) Silk.
(b) A good meal.
(c) Wine.
(d) Gold.

3. What question does the number runner ask Madam in "Madam and the Number Writer"?
(a) "What would you say / To a date today?
(b) "Is that big frown / 'Cause your husband's around?"
(c) "But suppose / You goes to hell?"
(d) "You sure look nice / Serving that rice."

4. What does the speaker claim he, too, would do if he were a Gypsy?
(a) Wear beautiful, handmade clothes.
(b) Travel the world.
(c) Steal people's money.
(d) Be psychic.

5. Which of the following is NOT listed as a job Madam has to do in "Madam and Her Madam"?
(a) Fetch the groceries.
(b) Cook.
(c) Take care of the children.
(d) Do the laundry.

6. What does the speaker wish the rent were in "Little Lyric (Of Great Importance)"?
(a) On time, for once.
(b) Cheaper.
(c) Heaven sent.
(d) Tax deductible.

7. What does the speaker hope for her child in the poem "Lament over Love"?
(a) That he or she will go to college.
(b) That he or she will stop being so bratty all the time.
(c) The he or she will never love a man.
(d) That he or she will not grow up to be poor.

8. What does Ruby Brown do for a living by the time the poem of her same name concludes?
(a) She is a prostitute.
(b) She is a doctor.
(c) She quits her job but doesn't have a new one yet.
(d) She is a teacher.

9. What would the speaker in "Young Gal's Blues" rather be dead than?
(a) Ugly and old.
(b) Poor and stupid.
(c) Old and stupid.
(d) Ugly and poor.

10. How does the speaker attempt suicide the second time in "Life Is Fine"?
(a) By jumping in front of a train.
(b) By jumping into a river.
(c) By jumping off of a building.
(d) By jumping off of a cliff.

11. What is the name of the character in "Graduation"?
(a) Mary Beth Wilson.
(b) Jackson Bartlet.
(c) Mary Lulu Jackson.
(d) Jackson Barton.

12. What is being cooked for dinner in "Graduation"?
(a) Pot roast.
(b) Brisket.
(c) Greens.
(d) Chicken.

13. What place is the speaker trying to avoid in "One-Way Ticket"?
(a) The police station.
(b) The South.
(c) His girlfriend's house.
(d) His mother's house.

14. What does the speaker in "Down and Out" want from her lover?
(a) New shoes.
(b) Money.
(c) Kisses.
(d) A new car.

15. What does the speaker in "Little Old Letter" claim pen and paper have the power to do?
(a) Seal a deal.
(b) Burn up and turn meaningless.
(c) Guarantee your rights.
(d) Take a person's life.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the speaker in "Misery" wish to hear?

2. Why does the speaker in "Necessity" finally decide he has to work after all?

3. How does the speaker first attempt suicide in "Life Is Fine"?

4. What does the speaker in "Cross" take back in regard to his father?

5. What does the speaker claim "Madam" stands for in "Madam's Past History"?

(see the answer keys)

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