Post by ernesto thaddeus m. solmerano on Jun 13, 2007 20:21:20 GMT -5
POETRY ANALYSIS TEST “State of the Nation”
by Victor Sugbo, 1989
Noy Tatong cooks for a Panamanian crew
Of a Dutch cargo ship;
His letters tell of vast oceans and waves
Huge as town cathedrals:
The icy coldness he dreads each time
The ship tosses wildly in the Arctic dark;
Nang Loleng babysits for an Arab couple in Dharan;
She cries when she is left alone
Locked in her master’s house like some convict;
She writes young girls like her jump
Out of windows there;
Nanay collects their dollars always with a long deep sigh;
Noy Tatong, Nang Loleng, I keep your pictures
Between the folds of my notebook;
O how we must live apart
To stay together.
1. In terms of language, the poem is:
a. prose
b. verse
c. poetic prose
d. nonfiction
2. By its nature, the poem is:
a. purely lyric
b. purely narrative
c. purely dramatic
d. none of the above
3. The persona is:
a. the reader
b. the poet
c. a child
d. nobody in particular
4. The lines that suggest the answer to #3 are:
a. lines 5-6
b. lines 8-9
c. lines 13-14
d. lines 15-16
5. The lines are addressed to:
a. the readers
b. to the poet himself
c. nobody in particular
d. all of the above
6. The persona’s gender is:
a. female
b. male
c. both a and b
d. cannot be determined
7. The “Noy Tatong” mentioned in line1 is the persona’s:
a. godfather
b. friend
c. brother
d. father
8. “Noy Tatong” works in a:
a. ship
b. military base in Netherlands
c. bar
d. restaurant
9. In lines 1-3, one can find:
a. a personification
b. an irony
c. a paradox
d. an understatement
10. Line 3 contains:
a. a hyperbole
b. a personification
c. a metaphor
d. a metonymy
11. Line 3 is a _____________ (whatever your answer in #10) because of the word:
a. letters
b. tell
c. oceans
d. waves
12. In lines 3-4, one can find:
a. a paradox
b. an irony
c. a simile
d. a metaphor
13. The comparison is based on:
a. sound
b. sight
c. size
d. shape
14. Lines 5-6 contain a:
a. metaphor
b. symbol
c. personification
d. hyperbole
15. “Nang Loleng” is the persona’s:
a. neighbor
b. sister
c. mother
d. babysitter
16. Lines 9-10 contain:
a. a metonymy
b. a hyperbole
c. an irony
d. a simile
17. Is there a figure of speech used in lines 10-11?
a. yes
b. no
c. cannot be determined
d. you give up
18. Line 12 suggests that “Nanay” is:
a. calm at the sight of money
b. helplessly resigned
c. angry at foreigners
d. dissatisfied or disgruntled
19. The mood or tone conveyed by the persona in lines 13-14 is one of:
a. bliss
b. horror
c. pessimism
d. sadness
20. Lines 15-16 contain:
a. a metaphor
b. a paradox
c. an antithesis
d. a hyperbole
21. The tone of the persona in the last two lines of the poem is one of:
a. deep-seated fury
b. longing and melancholy
c. defiance to authority
d. delight or satisfaction
22. There are references in the poem to _____________:
a. warmth and iciness
b. light or luminosity
c. coldness, darkness and isolation
d. the celestial and paranormal
23. The kind of language used in this poem is:
a. archaic or antiquated
b. colloquial speech
c. straightforward but literary
d. cryptic or enigmatic
24. The title of the poem:
a. has no significance in the poem whatsoever
b. is symbolic
c. is ironic
d. is used for vivid effect only
25. The main value of this poem as art is that it:
a. expresses the author’s concept of love
b. gives aesthetic pleasure
c. conveys a moral
d. all of the above
;DII. True or False. Answer with letters T if true, F if false.
1. One can fully appreciate a poem by just reciting it in silence.
2. The essence of the poem is found not in the meaning of words but in the words themselves.
3. Words have values in both sound and meaning.
4. Poetry may deal with any subject matter or theme.
5. A poem with an unpleasant subject/theme cannot give us aesthetic pleasure.
6. Poetry may use any kind of language, even slang or offensive.
7. It is not necessary for the language of the poem to be beautiful.
8. First and foremost, a poem must be a transmitter of meaning.
9. A poem may be subjected to only one interpretation.
10. The appreciation of poetry is essentially the appreciation of the poet’s choice and use of words.
“If you think you're wrong, you're wrong. If you think you're wrong, you're right. Good luck.”