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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. Whom does Chinaski meet in "A Tragic Meeting"?

2. Chinaski claims to say nothing to cops and what other type of person?

3. "Love Poem to a Stripper" is dedicated to a woman that Chinaski saw in which year?

4. Where is Chinaski in "Longshot"?

5. How does Chinaski think every older person wants to die?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Chinaski focus on the hidden horrors of life?

2. Describe the poem "Invasion."

3. How are "Hard Times" and "Concrete" juxtaposed?

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

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

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

7. Describe the conclusion Chinaski arrives at in "Wearing the Collar" and "A Cat is a Cat is a Cat is a Cat."

8. Why is the title "Practice" clever?

9. Describe the poem "The Lady in the Castle."

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

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

Discuss and analyze one metaphor that Chinaski has created in one of his poems to relate to modern American culture and interactions.

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