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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 7 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. The repetition of the word "deed" in line 13 is an example of which technique?
2. What is alluded to in the phrase "the land vaguely realizing westward" (line 14)?
3. Which is the primary definition of "still" being used in the expression "still colonials" in line 5?
4. According to the poem's second sentence, how did "we" find "salvation"?
5. What technique is used in the phrase "unstoried, artless, unenhanced" (line 15)?
Short Essay Questions
1. What does the speaker mean by "the land vaguely realizing westward" (line 14)?
2. What does the speaker claim makes the colonists "weak," and what is the solution to this weakness (line 8)?
3. Describe the form of "The Gift Outright."
4. Explain the synecdoche in line 4, "In Massachusetts, in Virginia."
5. Explain the poem's title.
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. To whom is it implied the pronouns "our" and "we" refer in this poem?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
How do repetition and alliteration 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.
Essay Topic 2
What is the theme of "The Gift Outright"? What is the poem's subject matter, and what claim about Americans and the land does it advance? What is the poem's tone, and how is it created? How do the poem's diction and its use of chiasmus, parallelism, and repetition contribute to its meaning? How does line 13 impact the poem's overall meaning? To what extent does "The Gift Outright" either acknowledge or elide the violence integral to the nation's foundation and expansion? Write an essay that makes and defends a claim about the theme of this poem. Support your assertions with both quoted and paraphrased evidence from the poem; cite all borrowed language in MLA format.
Essay Topic 3
What does diction with legal connotations add to "The Gift Outright"? How does diction with religious or sexual overtones add layers of meaning to the poem? How do these three types of diction interact with one another? What else do you observe about this poem's diction: is it formal or informal, abstract or concrete? How does the general diction of the poem create a framework for understanding the legal, sexual, and religious diction? How does the general diction itself help to create meaning? Write an essay in which you make and defend a claim about diction in "The Gift Outright." Support your assertions with both quoted and paraphrased evidence from the poem; cite all borrowed language in MLA format.
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This section contains 792 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) |
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