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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. What was the brain filled with? (Poem 1- "Drywater)

2. Who did Morrison say was drinking from the swimming pool? (Poem 4-"Jamaica")

3. Who did the speaker in the poem "Blessings" ask forgiveness from?

4. According to the first poem in the "Village Tapes" section, who lied?

5. What did Morrison name as coinciding with a time of plenty? (Poem 4- "Drywater")

Short Essay Questions

1. In the poem "Science of Night", whom is Morrison addressing?

2. Why did Morrison have the principal of the school holding his nose? ("Jamaica")

3. Why did Morrison claim that "I deserve this" at the end of the final poem from the "Drywater" section?

4. What is happening in the poem "Cassandra at the Well"?

5. In the fourth poem of the "Drywater" section, what did Morrison claim he was not?

6. What did the poem that began "Silver shaken in the gloom" speak about?

7. In the first poem from "The Village Tapes" section, what state is the world in?

8. In the second poem from the "Drywater" section, what did Morrison say was happening in the schoolyard?

9. How did Morrison describe the vultures in the poem from the section "Jamaica"?

10. In the ninth poem from the "Village Tapes" section, who is Morrison looking for?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Address you feelings for Morrison. How do you feel about him as a man? Can you relate to the problems that he claimed to face? Where did you feel sorry for him? Where did you think that he may have been seen as distant and untruthful? Do you think his poetry created an honest portrayal of him as a person? Or did he always maintain a level that you could not relate to? Explain. Use textual evidence to answer the questions to support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

Given that the poetry shows Morrison's direct concerns and feelings regarding life, which poem do you believe shows the most truthful representation of Morrison? How did the poem illustrate Morrison as a man, a writer, and a legend? How did he feel about who he was?

Essay Topic 3

"THE PONY EXPRESS" 21st May 1954

The pony express carried the mail

Over hill, over dale.

Over rough rugged trails

And the brave men that carried it

Didn't complain,

For they knew they were helping their good country's name

They rode and rode through

Strong winds and rain just

To carry the mail and build

Up our name

Over Indian country and great sandy plains,

They carried the mail and shared our fame.

"The Pony Express" was Morrison's first poem. Discuss the similarities between his writing as an adult to those of his first poem. What imagery did Morrison still use? How is the theme similar to poetry from his adulthood? What distinct image do you find that Morrison carried with him?

(see the answer keys)

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