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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. What is described as “the cataract falling like a veil over my countenance” in Section 33?

2. The poet says in Section 44, “I am an acme of things accomplish’d, and I am an enclose of” what?

3. What animal “walks to and fro on a limb overhead” in Section 33?

4. What “cuts like a black chip out of the water,” according to the poet in Section 33?

5. The narrator contends that he is the teacher of what, in the opening of Section 47?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the purpose of the religious allusion in Sections 41 and 42 of the poem?

2. How does Whitman address the faults of mankind in Section 32?

3. What does the poet question and attempt to answer in Section 40 of the poem?

4. Which of the five senses is introduced in Section 27? What animal is cited in this section?

5. How is the motif of the journey described in Section 46 of the poem?

6. What have the “sentries” done, according to the narrator in Section 28?

7. With what characters does the narrator relate in Section 37?

8. What conclusions does the poet reach in Section 31?

9. With what individuals does the poet relate in Section 33?

10. In what way is the concept of “rebirth” illustrated in Section 38?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Walt Whitman’s depictions of nature versus modernization, science, and technology. Do you think Whitman perceived science as being akin to spirituality? How did his viewpoints in the poem coincide with traditional thought?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the poet’s references to the Texas War of Independence. What were Whitman’s political views regarding the war? How many soldiers died in the battles? How does Whitman describe the Battle of the Alamo in this section of the poem? What central battle is his focus?

Essay Topic 3

Define the following literary terms: rhyme, meter, and form. Using an excerpt from the poem, identify the lines and stanzas as well as analyzing its rhyme and meter (or lack thereof). How does this poem compare to traditional, lyrical poetry? Why do you think Walt Whitman chose to write in this style?

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