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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. James Dickey claims his life was changed after spending a year in which European country?
(a) Italy.
(b) Ireland.
(c) France.
(d) England.

2. W.S. Merwin attended which Ivy League school?
(a) Yale.
(b) Columbia.
(c) Harvard.
(d) Princeton.

3. Which of the poets wrote a piece titled, "Frederick Douglass?"
(a) Cunningham.
(b) Olson.
(c) Garrigue.
(d) Hayden.

4. In which city was Robert Hayden born?
(a) Los Angeles.
(b) New York.
(c) Detroit.
(d) Seattle.

5. Which poet was greatly influenced by William Butler Yeats and W.H. Auden?
(a) Elizabeth Bishop.
(b) Theodore Roethke.
(c) John Berryman.
(d) Randall Jarrell.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the latest year in which one of the poets was born?

2. Charles Olson refers to himself as which of the following?

3. "Amusing Our Daughters" was written to which of the poet's family members?

4. Mary Swenson received a degree in which discipline?

5. Which of the poets worked at the Museum of Modern Art?

Short Essay Questions

1. Examine briefly the life and work of Robert Hayden. How did Hayden attempt to break the color barrier? What are some of Hayden's poems included in this section?

2. Give a brief overview of Robert Lowell's life and work as a poet. What were Lowell's main topics? Which techniques did he favor when writing poetry? Also list at least four of Lowell's poems.

3. What is unusual about W.S. Merwin's choice of career? What are some of the main topics and/or themes often used by Merwin?

4. Describe Richard Hugo's work and possible influence on style and subject.

5. What was Allen Ginsberg's first major success? What made Ginsberg into an iconic poet?

6. Discuss the varied activities of James Dickey and the one thing that supposedly changed his life. What are some of the themes involved in Dickey's work?

7. Describe William Meredith's work and his main focus. Also list some of the poems included in his section.

8. What contributions did Mona Van Duyn make to the literary world? What was Van Duyn's biggest accomplishment?

9. Discuss the wide variety of jobs held by Richard Wilbur. Also discuss Wilbur's style and the poems in which the style is exhibited in this collection.

10. Name at least one of the main themes that can be seen in James Merrill's work. What is Merrill's genre? List some of the poems included in Merrill's section.

(see the answer keys)

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