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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who is the subject of "Your Face on the Dog's Neck"?
(a) The speaker herself.
(b) The speaker's daughter.
(c) The speaker's lover.
(d) The speaker's cat.

2. What is the subject of "Those Times"?
(a) Sexual abuse.
(b) Death.
(c) Divorce.
(d) Mental illness.

3. In what year did the author receive an award for Live or Die?
(a) 1966.
(b) 1963.
(c) 1967.
(d) 1970.

4. What is the sister poem to "The Double Image"?
(a) "Torn Down From Glory Daily."
(b) "A Story For Rose On the Midnight Flight To Boston."
(c) "The Moss of His Skin."
(d) "The Division of Parts."

5. How many poems are in Part 2 of the author's first book of poetry?
(a) One.
(b) Three.
(c) Seven.
(d) Fifteen.

Short Answer Questions

1. "In Celebration of My Uterus" celebrates what?

2. "For John, Who Begs Me Not To Enquire Further" is a defense against whom?

3. What type of poem is "For the Year of the Insane"?

4. How many parts is All My Pretty Ones divided into?

5. What is the subject of "Your Face on the Dog's Neck" doing?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain the poem "Suicide Note."

2. How do the poems in Live or Die reflect Sexton's mental and emotional health?

3. What is the meaning of the title "The Fortress"?

4. Compare and contrast "The Double Image" and "The Division of Parts."

5. What is the significance of ending Part 1 of To Bedlam and Part Way Back with the poem "A Story For Rose On the Midnight Flight To Boston"?

6. How does Sexton use her poetry as a form of therapy in Live or Die?

7. Explain the use of animals in the poem "Loving the Killer."

8. What are the two major themes dealt with in Live or Die, and how are they dealt with?

9. Explain how Sexton expresses love in All the Pretty Ones.

10. Compare and contrast "The Interrogation of the Man of Many Hearts" with "For My Lover, Returning to His Wife."

(see the answer keys)

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