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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 is the author of "The New Blade"?

2. "Mother's Day" was written by whom?

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

4. Donna Leed's untitled poem talks of how she never saw the road between her house and her grandmother's house why?

5. Who wrote "The Father, Who Could Not Swim"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What personification and metaphor is used in the poem "Stranded"?

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

3. What is described in "Dedication"? What simile is used to describe old papers?

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

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

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

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

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

9. What did the author's mother give her in "The Ants Are Using Sticks For Walls"?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Discuss the themes of words and language in "Naming" and "Learning Persian." How do the authors of these poems use personification in language?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the imagery, symbolism and themes in "The New World." How does the author relate sexuality in this poem?

(see the answer keys)

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