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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. Who wrote the poem titled "Stranded"?

2. In "Last-Minute Message for a Time Capsule," the author writes, "we also had the righteous ones who worshiped the True Faith, and" what?

3. What is the coat lined with in "My Father's Coat"?

4. In the Introduction by Naomi Shihab Nye, the author leaves what behind on an airplane?

5. Who sits in the top bunk late at night in "Nine"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did the author's mother throw out his underwear in "Emergency Situation"?

2. What happens in the poem "David"? What images are described?

3. What similes and metaphors are prevalent in "Custody"?

4. What similes are used to describe water in "Aqueducts"?

5. What similes are described in "Other Lives"?

6. What does the author write about her choice to collect these poems in the Introduction?

7. What question is the author asked in "First Grade"? What is the meaning?

8. How is the coat described in "My Father's Coat"?

9. How does the author describe death in "The Father, Who Could Not Swim"?

10. What is "Almost Evenly Divided" in the poem by this name?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the religious allusion and symbolism in "Shedding Skin" and "Invisibility." What do these poems have in common?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of family in "Leaving the Light On." What does the author wonder about his parents? What conclusions does he find?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss the settings and characters in the poems "Insurance" and "She had thought." In what narrative voice is each poem written?

(see the answer keys)

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