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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. Anderson states that she speaks to thousands of teens and hundreds of which other group of people at book festivals?
(a) Writers.
(b) Survivors of sexual violence.
(c) Teachers.
(d) Poets.

2. Who pulled the fire alarm at the start of Anderson's second assembly in a particular high school?
(a) A teacher.
(b) Anderson.
(c) A student.
(d) The principal.

3. What scientific term does Anderson use to differentiate between herself and the character of Melinda?
(a) Evolution.
(b) Natural selection.
(c) DNA.
(d) Photosynthesis.

4. What do the lottery tickets symbolize in the poem entitled "strawberry-blonde fairy tales" (129)?
(a) Desperation.
(b) Hope.
(c) Superstition.
(d) Resignation.

5. What was the duration of Anderson's father's long absence during her adolescence?
(a) 3 months.
(b) 9 months.
(c) 2 months.
(d) 6 months.

Short Answer Questions

1. After how many years did Anderson's father regain a position within a certain line of work he had previously done?

2. To whom does Anderson address the poem entitled "innocence" (192)?

3. The poem "Polyhymnia" (167) focuses on which of Anderson's firsts?

4. Which of the following terms most closely resembles the way in which Anderson uses the phrase "bonfire/of his vanities" in the poem entitled "not responsible for contents" (238)?

5. To which group of people is Anderson referring when she describes trolls hiding under bridges and dogs hunting a particular icon?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Anderson go about creating an interdisciplinary work of literature within the poem entitled “forgiveness” (206)?

2. What mistakes does Anderson think that Western society is making when socializing young boys and why?

3. What two elements does Anderson contrast within the poem “triptych” (210) and for what purpose?

4. How does Anderson instill suspense into a particular moment within her poetry memoir?

5. In what way does Anderson characterize the way in which her life and her stories intersect?

6. To what location is Anderson referring when she discusses her “last leaving” and her “predawn trip” in the poem “calving iceberg” (138)?

7. For what transgression does Anderson receive a look of scornful disgust during her tea with a new friend at Georgetown?

8. How does the motif of dreams enter Anderson’s poetry memoir?

9. How does the theme of family bonds enter the part of the memoir about Anderson’s return home from Denmark?

10. Whom does Anderson credit with teaching her everything she knows about (170) her “responsibility to [her] readers”?

(see the answer keys)

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