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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. How does Bishop begin the section Geography III?

2. In "Lullaby for the Cat," what does the cat not want to do?

3. What does "The Wit" describe?

4. Who are the Biblical personages referenced in "The Wit"?

5. Why does the toad in "Giant Toad" pity himself?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the meaning of the simple, repeated incident in Drummond de Andrade's "In the Middle of the Road"?

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

3. 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"?

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

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

6. How does the location in "Santarem" parallel the Garden of Eden?

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

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

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

10. How are the "Four Sambas" by Anonymous different from the rest of the poems in the book?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Death is a common theme among the poems Bishop chose to translate, though rare among the poems she penned herself. Why do you think this is? Given what you know about Bishop as a writer based on the rest of the book, do you think this was a coincidence, or do you think she was attracted to poetry that dealt with death? What type of language does Bishop use when referring to death; does it vary from poem to poem? Does this section offer us any insight into her own thoughts about death, or only into the original poets' views on death?

Essay Topic 2

Much of Bishop's poetry relates to geography. Citing specific poems, including "The Map," "Over 2,000 Illustrations and a Complete Concordance," "Brazil January 1, 1502," and the introduction to Geography III, discuss the importance of geography in Bishop's work. How does she see it? Why is it so important to her? How does it frame who she is, her subject matter, and her approach?

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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