View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 7 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is the author of "The Gift Outright"?

2. What is alluded to in the phrase "the land vaguely realizing westward" (line 14)?

3. According to the poem's second sentence, how did "we" find "salvation"?

4. What technique is used in the lines "She was our land more than a hundred years/ Before we were her people" (lines 2-3)?

5. The repetition of the word "deed" in line 13 is an example of which technique?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the speaker claim makes the colonists "weak," and what is the solution to this weakness (line 8)?

2. Explain the synecdoche in line 4, "In Massachusetts, in Virginia."

3. What does the speaker mean by "the land vaguely realizing westward" (line 14)?

4. To whom is it implied the pronouns "our" and "we" refer in this poem?

5. Describe the form of "The Gift Outright."

6. What is implied by the diction the speaker uses to describe the lands yet to be conquered by American settlers: "unstoried, artless, unenhanced" (line 15)?

7. Explain the poem's title.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Is it possible to make the argument that "The Gift Outright" acknowledges that the conquest of the land through war has contributed something unsavory to the American character? Consider the complex construction of line 13 in this light. Then, think about the possible meanings of "Such as we were" in line 12. When Frost ends the poem with "Such as she was, such as she would become," does this imply that "we" would also "become" something new, as human beings? On the other hand, even if this is implied, is the poem really saying that what "we" would become is something negative? Does the land become something negative? Does the idea of finding "salvation" completely negate the possibility that the transformation of the American character has unsavory elements? Write an essay in which you affirm, refute, or qualify the following statement: "Robert Frost's poem "The Gift Outright" celebrates the formation and expansion of the United States while still acknowledging that the violence required to create and expand the nation has left an unpleasant imprint on the American character." Support your assertions with both quoted and paraphrased evidence from the poem; cite all borrowed language in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

What spiritual claims does "The Gift Outright" make about the foundation and expansion of the American nation? How does diction like "surrender" and "salvation" advance its spiritual claim? What hidden premises are introduced into Frost's argument by the implied spiritual claims being made in this poem? If these hidden premises are disputed, does this weaken the overall effect of the argument being made in "The Gift Outright"? Write an essay that analyzes the poem's spiritual claims and considers how these claims impact the poem's overall argument. Support your assertions with both quoted and paraphrased evidence from the poem; cite all borrowed language in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

How do chiasmus and parallelism support the tone of "The Gift Outright"? Do they serve other purposes, such as creating emphasis or clarifying the relationships among ideas? Write an essay in which you describe how these two techniques are used in the poem and analyze how they contribute to both tone and meaning. Support your assertions with both quoted and paraphrased evidence from the poem; cite all borrowed language in MLA format.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 865 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample