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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 Bible story is alluded to in "Santarem?"

2. What literary device does "12 O'Clock News" employ?

3. Who is the philosopher referenced in "The Wit"?

4. How does nature celebrate the birth of a baby in "From 'The Life and Death of a Severino'"?

5. Why does the snail in "Giant Snail" pity himself?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was the political situation that inspired "The Hanging of the Mouse"?

2. 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"?

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

4. What does the poet mean by the line "We are too innocent and wise" in "The Wave"?

5. From what perspective is the story of "The Hanging of the Mouse" told?

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

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

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

9. How does Octavio Paz view the beginning of a new year in "January First"?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Several of Bishop's poems discuss what it means to be a traveler. Examine "Questions of Travel," "Brazil January 1, 1502," and one other poem on this subject. What is Bishop's relationship to travel and to the places she travels to? Why is she torn about it? Does she ultimately come to some resolution about the questions she poses?

Essay Topic 2

The New Poems section is comprised of four poems written shortly before Bishop's death. Do you see any connections among them? Do they differ in any way from the other poems in the text? Compare and contrast these poems with the poems in Poems Written in Youth. In what ways did the poet remain consistent, and in what ways did she change as a writer as she matured?

Essay Topic 3

Much of Bishop's poetry relates to nature. Citing specific poems from various sections throughout the text, analyze Bishop's relationship to the natural world in a general sense. How does she view it? What is its meaning and significance? How would her writing be different if this element were absent?

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