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

Short Answer Questions

1. Dave Smith has developed a poetic voice often referred to as the ____ self.

2. What was the name of Sylvia Plath's husband?

3. Jorie Graham was raised in which country?

4. Which of the following was not a job held by Amy Clampitt?

5. Charles Wright wrote an homage to which famous painter?

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss Michael S. Palmer's poem "H." what is the main theme of the poem? Does the reader get a clear vision of Palmer's insight? What might the poem mean?

2. How does Ellen Bryant Voigt compare poetry to music? Why does Voigt make this comparison? In which part of the poem is the comparison most evident?

3. Examine Yusef Komunyakaa's background and influences regarding his work.

4. What themes are most often seen in Gary Snyder's work? What does Snyder credit with helping him focus on the inner world?

5. What unique gift is expressed in Philip Levine's work? What prompted this style and choice of theme? What are some of Levine's poems included in his section?

6. Heather McHugh's poem, "The Typewriter's the Kind," tells the story of a writer sitting in front of a type writer. Discuss the meaning of the poem and which passage best describes what McHugh is feeling about her work.

7. What type of work did Richard Howard produce? Examine Richard Howard's fascination with the figures of 19th century high society. Also list some of the poems contained in his section.

8. List some of Robert Hass' jobs outside of poetry. What topics and/or themes are most common in Hass' work? Who were Hass' influences?

9. Discuss Amy Clampitt's early career. What are some of Clampitt's themes?

10. What first inspired Charles Wright to write poetry? Where was Wright at the time? How can Wright's early work be characterized? How did Charles Wright's work evolve?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why does Edward Hirsch encourage students to write using childhood memories? How do those memories differ from memories of an older child or adult? Compare and contrast childhood memories with adult memories. Do the same with dream work.

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the opinions of one poet from each section. Choose poets that are the most unique or have views not shared by the others. You may reference outside sources for information as long as sources are cited.

Essay Topic 3

In several of the works, the poets manage to create characters and evoke emotions through the use of monologue and/or dialogue. As such the poet requires the reader to experience a situation through the eyes of another, effectively creating or using another voice rather than one's own. Explain how this might be done. If you were going to create a poem written in this way, what voice would you choose to use? How would you achieve the transformation? Would it be easier or more difficult to choose a fictional character? Would it be easier or more difficult to write through the eyes of the opposite sex?

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