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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 quality do the poems in North and South share?

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

3. What does the poem "Roosters" describe?

4. What are two sounds the poet appreciates in "Questions of Travel"?

5. On what is "The Riverman" based?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the tone of "A Cold Spring" in contrast to its subject matter?"

2. How are the poems in North and South devoted to morning different?

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

4. How is the writing style in "The Riverman" unlike most of Bishop's poems?

5. Why does "Arrival at Santos" end with the tour group heading toward the interior of Brazil?

6. What two things is Bishop comparing in "Brazil, January 1, 1502"?

7. What does the final stanza of "Insomnia" depict?

8. What is Bishop comparing in "Large Bad Picture" when she refers to "commerce or contemplation"?

9. What is the significance of the trees capturing the music in "View of the Capitol from the Library of Congress"?

10. How would you characterize the speaker's relationship to the title character in "Manuelzinho"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose three poems that employ metaphor and/or simile, and discuss Bishop's use of these poetic devices. How does she employ them? How do they contribute to each poem's effectiveness? How would the poems be different if these had been omitted? Compare and contrast the ways metaphor and/or simile are applied in the three poems.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Bishop's use of personification in the three poems in Rainy Season; Sub Tropics. What does each animal tell us about the speaker's view of humanity? Why do you think Bishop chose the specific animals she did? How would the poem have been different if she had used exaggerated human characters?

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."

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