View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does the speaker say humans suffer at the end of "Early Darkness"?

2. What does the speaker in "Midsummer" say all humanity does while crying out their needs "in the open field" (34)?

3. What happens to the flowers at the top of the bush while the one at the bottom blooms dark red in "Song"?

4. The daisies in "Daisies" say that the mind wants to shine like what?

5. Who does the speaker in "Matins" (#6) address?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the poet express regret for thinking in "Matins" (#7)?

2. What does the poet in "Heaven and Earth" question in regards to her husband at the end of the poem?

3. What is different about the way the poet in "Song" sees the rose compared to how her husband sees it?

4. In "Vespers" (#4), where does the poet say she knows God is?

5. What does the poet say is a way of God revealing Himself in "Vespers" (#5)?

6. What does the poet in "Vespers" (#2) tell God she failed to do at the start of the poem?

7. What does the clover question in regards to people's view of the four leaf clover in "Clover"?

8. Why does the poet in "Vespers" (#1) plant a fig tree in Vermont?

9. "In Doorway," how does the poet describe the late spring?

10. What does the flower ask the human at the start of "Field Flowers"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay analyzing the sun as a symbol in Wild Iris. Choose a minimum of 3 poems from varying viewpoints and discuss what the sun means to that person or thing and what other words or phrases are used to convey meaning.

Essay Topic 2

Choose a minimum of 4 poems written from the perspective of a plant or flower and write an essay comparing and contrasting the plant or flowers tone toward the poet/ gardener or humanity as a whole. Note the imagery used to convey tone.

Essay Topic 3

Choosing several of the poems written from the voice of the poet to God, write an essay analyzing the poet's changing thoughts on God's existence. Analyze the poems for tone and imagery, comparing and contrasting these aspects of the poem in a minimum of 4 poems.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 611 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample