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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 the subject of "My Last Poem"?

2. For what does the poet express a need in "Sonnet"?

3. What does the woman demonstrate in "Brazilian Tragedy"?

4. What does "Brazilian Tragedy" depict?

5. In "Pleasure Seas," what do those on the shore, in the plane, or on the yacht have in common?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the porch symbolize in "Sunday at Key West"?

2. Why did Bishop write "The Mountain" in the first person?

3. Why do you think Bishop chooses animals to symbolize the players in "The Hanging of the Mouse"?

4. How is the character in "The Strayed Crab" an exaggerated human figure?

5. How does Max Jacobs' "Hell Is Graduated" change in the course of the poem?

6. Why is Bandeira so concerned about the specifics of his last poem in "My Last Poem"?

7. What is the tone of "Lines Written in the Fannie Farmer Cookbook"?

8. Do you think "Lullaby for the Cat" is simply an innocent rhyme, or do you think it has a deeper meaning?

9. In what style is Bandeira's poem "Brazilian Tragedy" composed?

10. Which stanza in section XIV of "From 'The Death and Life of a Severino'" seems different from the others?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

What is Bishop's attitude toward the characters in "Exchanging Hats"? Is it objective or judgmental? Support your claim with specific quotations from the poem. Does her attitude seem out of character for Bishop, considering the sense of humor she displays in other poems? Do you think her attitude has to do with the fact that the trend she witnesses is started by an "unfunny uncle"? Might she view things differently if the trend had been started by someone she admired?

Essay Topic 3

What do you think is meant by the heading "Occasional Poems"? What does the word "occasional" connote in this context? How are the poems in this section alike and different? Are there any that you feel don't belong in this collection? Why or why not? How would your understanding of Bishop as a writer differ if these poems had been omitted?

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