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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. In "Working It Out," who is Gregory Peck portraying on television?

2. In "Supposedly Famous," Chinaski takes stock of __________.

3. Which poem is considered a play on words?

4. In school, Chinaski often had difficulty with ___________.

5. In "The Stride," how old does Chinaski recall being?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the role of loss in Bukowski's poetry.

2. What is Chinaski's view of solitude?

3. Describe the overall tone and themes of the poems in Bukowski's book.

4. How does Chinaski juxtapose "Stride" and "The Final Story"?

5. Describe Chinaski's feelings for John Fante.

6. What does "The Master Plan" reveal about Chinaski?

7. What is the poem "Shoes" about?

8. How do many of the poems seem to serve as a defense of listlessness?

9. What relationships are defined in "A Non-urgent Poem" and "For My Ivy League Friends"?

10. What is significant about the poems following "The Master Plan" in terms of imagery?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Chinaski defend a listless and lazy lifestyle? In addition, explain how Chinaski laments the lie of the American dream and why he does this.

Essay Topic 2

An allegory is a literary device used to show that a part represents a whole. Describe the use of allegory in at least one of Bukowski's poems. Then explain why the use of allegory is effective or ineffective.

Essay Topic 3

Describe the way in which Bukowski uses gallows humor, vaudeville, and irony in at least two of his poems. Find at least two specific examples from each of these two poems.

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