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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 does the author meet at a crossroads in "I Myself"?

2. In the Introduction by Naomi Shihab Nye, the author writes, "Losing makes us miserable, startles us awake. It's also" what?

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

4. What poem did Leonard Nathan write in the collection?

5. Who wrote "The Ants Are Using Sticks For Walls"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How are the people described in the poem "and sometimes i hear this song in my head"?

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

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

4. What structural choices did the author make in "What Great Grief Has Made the Empress Mute"? Why?

5. What does the author discover in the sculptures in "The New World"?

6. What does the author miss in "Song of the Prodigal Son"?

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

8. What is being searched for in "What We Want"? How are the people described?

9. How does the father feel in "Taking My Son to His First Day of Kindergarten"? What irony is described?

10. How are the mother's suicide attempts described in "Lens"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Discuss the theme of self-identity in the poems "Waking Instructions" and "I, Myself." What symbolism and imagery is used to reinforce this theme?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss the theme of death in "Garage Sale" and "Benavides, Texas, 1906." How is the setting of each poem described? How does the setting impact the poem's tone?

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