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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 symbolic meaning of "Pleasure Seas"?

2. What does the poet do with items on her desk in "12 O'Clock News"?

3. How does the crab in "Strayed Crab" view himself?

4. What does the second part of Three Valentines depict?

5. Where was the poet Max Jacob from?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What is the moral Bishop puts forth in "Thank-You Note"?

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

4. What is the double meaning of the phrase "family travelling through the flesh" in Drummond de Andrade's "Family Portrait"?

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

6. How is the character in "The Giant Toad" an exaggerated human figure?

7. In Carlos Drummond de Andrade's "Infancy," why does the author refer to Robinson Crusoe as "the long story that never comes to an end"?

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

9. How is the character in "The Giant Snail" an exaggerated human figure?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

What does "12 O'Clock News" tell us about Bishop's unique powers of observation and her ability to see things from a different perspective? Why do you think she chose to present the items in terms of newspaper stories? Do you think she is merely being playful, or is this a more serious commentary on journalism? Use specific examples from the poem to support your claim.

Essay Topic 3

"In the Waiting Room" is unique among Bishop's poems in that it details a critical moment in the poet's childhood. Discuss the specific details of the experience and describe what this moment means for the young Bishop. Can you relate it to any themes from the poet's adulthood that are revealed in any of her other poems? Do you see this poem as more personal, or more universal, and why?

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