View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the man in "Songs for a Colored Singer do?

2. What could the tone of the Four Poems indicate about the poet?

3. Who do the characters pick up in "Manners"?

4. What does the singer do in "Songs for a Colored Singer?"

5. Who is traveling on a wagon in "Manners"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do the poet's descriptions in "Arrival at Santos" reflect her dual state of mind?

2. How does Bishop feel about winter in "The Colder the Air"?

3. In "Questions of Travel," does the poet decide it is better to travel, or stay home and use one's imagination?

4. What is similar about the poems in North and South devoted to morning?

5. What is the relationship between the fisherman and the fishhouse in "At the Fishhouses"?

6. What surprise does Bishop reveal in the last line of "Insomnia?"

7. In what form is "The Burglar of Babylon" written? Why does the poet use this form?

8. How does Bishop portray water in the poems in North and South?

9. Does Bishop see the ocean as ever-changing or never changing in the poems in Cold Spring?

10. How does the title of "The Man-Moth" alter the feel of the poem?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Bishop employs a variety of different formats, including prose poetry, sonnets, and sestinas. Choose one example of each of these and discuss to what extent the format is a fitting approach for that particular poem. How would the poem's effect be different if it were presented differently? Discuss how it would be different in terms of its look on the page and the way it would sound. Would it be more or less effective, and why?

Essay Topic 2

Love is a theme that is explored in several of Bishop's poems. Citing specific texts, analyze the place of love in Bishop's writings. What does she say about love? Does her perspective change or remain the same over time? Do you think these poems are more autobiographical or more universal in nature, and why?

Essay Topic 3

Describe Bishop's sense of humor as evidenced by her poetry. Is her humorous tone consistent across the various poems, or does it change? Why do you think she chooses a humorous approach in these poems? How does it make the poetry more effective? How would these poems be different if the writing were more objective? Cite specific poems to support your claim. Some poems you might consider include "The Man-Moth," "Lines Written in the Fannie Farmer Cookbook," and "12 O'Clock News."

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 783 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample