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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. In “The United States Welcomes You,” the speaker asks if the person is there in regard to whom?

2. In “Watershed,” In italics, the speaker who is floating over the city can move and do what?

3. In “Watershed,” what is a pipe dispensing?

4. In “New Road Station,” history is compared to a mother doing what?

5. In "Annunciation," the speaker is ashamed of what?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the speaker in "Watershed" feel, as he has the sense of being pulled up?

2. What do the women say to the man, as they crouch down around him in "Theatrical Improvisation"?

3. In "Theatrical Improvisation," what do two of the people remember?

4. To what is the like girl compared in “4 1/2”?

5. What is described in "Unrest in Baton Rouge"?

6. What does the speaker in "Eternity: Landscape Painting" say about the soul?

7. How is “The Everlasting Self” described in the poem?

8. How does the speaker feel in “In Your Condition”?

9. What takes place in “Urban Youth”?

10. What does the speaker say about the wall in "Mutianyu, Great Wall"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the overall writing style of the poet? Why might she choose to write her poems this way? How does this writing style affect the reader and the flow of the poems? What other ways does her writing style affect the reader?

Essay Topic 2

A couple of Smith's poems feel as if they are from the viewpoint of an audience member at a performance. Describe one of these poems. What is the connection between theatre and the subject-matter of the poem? Why might she write a poem from this perspective? Is this effective? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Several of the poems were created for a specific group or event. How might this have affected the poet and her choices regarding writing these poems? Can this type of inspiration be a hinderance for the poet? Why or why not? How might the poet benefit from certain restrictions when writing a poem?

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