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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 created when the phone rang at the end of the poem whose first line was "Argue w/breath")?

2. In poem 4,"Jamaica", what did the principal hold?

3. Who were described as having an "insane free chummy cackle"? (Poem 1-"Drywater")

4. In the poem "Cassandra at the Well", what did Morrison say was happening?

5. According to Morrison in the first poem in "Jamaica", what did grown men fear?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Morrison say mated? ("Drywater")

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

3. What did Morrison state that children and men feared? ("Jamaica")

4. Who did Morrison describe in the poem "Jamaica"?

5. In the fourth poem from the "Drywater" section, how did Morrison bring religious imagery into the poem?

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

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

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

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

10. Why did Morrison ask for forgiveness from Blacks? (Poem 3- "Villages Tapes")

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Morrison was very traumatized by the sight of the dead Native American Indians on the side of the road. Choose 3 poems and discuss how this trauma translated into poetry. How did Morrison use the imagery of what he saw on the highway? What impression did this sight leave on Morrison? How did the poem speak to Morrison's feelings about what happened?

Essay Topic 2

Rarely did Morrison title his poetry. Discuss how this lack of standard titling either helped or hindered your understanding of the book. Did this lack of apparent labeling confuse you as a reader or solidify what was known about Morrison as a writer? How did the lack of titling affect your understanding?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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