1 What does the speaker do before diving into the wreck? Come up with a list of items she would like to find Research its history Think about the value of poetry Read "the book of myths" 2 Which of the following is *not* a possible interpretation of "the book of myths" the speaker readers? a book of cultural myths a symbol for history literal books about history Ovid's Metamorphoses 3 Why does the speaker carry a camera? To take selfies To see if it will work underwater As a weight to remind her of her heavy task To document her voyage 4 How can we best interpret the speaker's carrying a knife? To defend herself against danger To cut through reeds In case of shark attacks To scare other divers away 5 What is the form of the poem? Free verse Sestina Sonnet Vilanelle 6 Who was Jacques Costeau? The speaker's ex-husband A noted physican A french diver, documentarian, and inventory of scuba gear A 19th-century poet 7 Which of the following is *not* a detail that establishes the poem's maritime setting? The speaker's flippers The taste of salt in the air blue-black water A ladder leading from the boat into the water 8 How can you interpret the detail that the speaker "crawl[s] like an insect" into the ocean? She feels creepy She wants to emphasize that, like an insect, she has an exoskeleton The task ahead of her makes her feel small Like an insect, she is part of a colony 9 What is the speaker looking for as she dives into the wreck? Evidence of a crime The remains of loved ones The truth A hidden treasure 10 Which of the following is *not* a way the wreck is described? As a person with a flank and face As the ruins of a romantic relationship "the thing itself and not the myth" "The disaster" 11 After the speaker's dive, which of the following does she see? reeds and fish the furniture that was on the ship eels manta rays 12 How can we interpret the speaker's identification with the mermaid? An identification with all women A show of mourning Evidence of her lesbian separatism Her enthrallment with the world of imagination and fantasy 13 Why does the speaker begin to use "we" in stanza seven? She is literally exploring alongside the mermaid and merman She refers to the whole history of women authors Her friends have joined her To show solidarity with all those who have been erased from history 14 How can we interpret the speaker's claim that "we are the half-destroyed instruments"? There are ruined musical instruments on the ship "we" have all been half-destroyed by the violence of history, symbolized by the shipwreck Poets are not thought to be useful Rich is comparing herself to tools like the compass and barometer 15 How can we interpret the metaphor of the shipwreck? It is a metaphor for men's violence against women Is it a metaphor for a relationship gone wrong It is a metaphor for history It is a metaphor for the low status of poetry 16 What does the speaker mean when she says she carries "a book of myths in which our names do not appear"? The book doesn't contain any names because it is trying to report only on the science of the shipwreck. Women's names to do not appear in the history books. The book is too old to contain a record of her birth. She was left out of the book by a hostile biographer.
