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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 is one of Chinaski's friends named in "Song"?

2. In "A Following," Chinaski gets a call from __________.

3. Where is Chinaski in "Not Listed"?

4. In "The Shrinking Island," Chinaski's wife tells him not to step on_________.

5. In "Song," what does Chinaski's friend sing a song about?

Short Essay Questions

1. What allegory is present in "The Death of a Splendid Neighborhood"?

2. Describe the argument that Bukowski makes in "Fractional Note."

3. What does the lion in "Invasion" represent?

4. Why is "An Ordinary Poem" significant in terms of defining Chinaski?

5. Describe the events in the poem "The Boil."

6. How does Chinaski feel about the beautiful lady editor?

7. Why does Chinaski think he has so many female critics?

8. How does Bukowski build a sense of foreboding in "Invasion"?

9. How and why does Chinaski focus on domestic life in some of the poems?

10. How does Bukowski use gallows humor and vaudeville in his poems?

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

Assess the theme of destruction in this collection of poems. What types of things are destroyed? What types of things are preserved? What does this say about Bukowski?

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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