In Memory of Radio Quizzes

In Memory of Radio Quiz

1 Based on textual evidence alone, what is the relationship between Jack Kerouac and the speaker of the poem?

They are smarter than the majority of people which means that their tastes are more refined

They helped to create the character of Lamont Cranston together

They both have reflected on the divinity of Lamont Cranston

They are contemporary literature buddies who like to talk about superheroes together
2 Finish this statement: "It is better to have loved and lost / Than to _______"

"put linoleum in your living rooms?"

"recognize how evil love actually is?"

"listen to F.J. Sheen tell you how to get saved & rich?"

"have never loved at all?"
3 According to The Shadow, what does he himself know?

How to transform into something that is visible to others

How to "cloud" opponents brains so that they can't see him

The evil that lurks in the hearts of men

Unbelievers are going to throw stones at him
4 What does the collective listen to first on Saturday mornings?

Kate Smith

a show about undersea adventures

Red Lantern

Let's Pretend
5 Which answer choice contains a proper name that does NOT appear in "In Memory of Radio"?

F.J. Sheen

Oral Roberts

Duke Smith

Goody Knight
6 What regional morning news show is referenced in the first stanza?

WCBS

WNBC

WFOX

WKCR
7 What does the speaker of the poem think about WCBS and Kate Smith?

That they pretty great and popular for a reason

That they're alright, but not the best

That they are unattractive

That they aren't as good as jazz music
8 What does the speaker think he might be at the beginning of Stanza III?

F.J. Sheen

A sage

A Mandrake

Oral Roberts
9 According to the poem, what do Mandrakes produce on a weekly basis?

Pregnancies

Drug overdose

Hypnotic gestures

Hallucinations
10 What can't the speaker do that F.J. Sheen can do?

Heal others with divine powers

Be famous

Tell you how to get saved and make money

Perform a church service on live television
11 What is the speaker's evidence for love being an "evil word"?

When you turn it backwards it spells out "evol," which sounds like "evil"

The speaker's heart has recently been broken

The Shadow can see into the hearts of men and therefore knows that love is a fickle illusion at best

It has many negative associations to the speaker
12 What did the collective listen to second on Saturday mornings?

The Red Lantern & his undersea folk

Let's Pretend (at 11)

The Red Lantern

Kate Smith
13 What has the poet retained from childhood?

Great powers of deception

Listening to the radio

A distrust of the concept of love

A love for The Shadow
14 Who is speaking in the second-to-last stanza of the poem?

The poet

Amiri Baraka

The Shadow

Jack Kerouac
15 Finish this statement: "I certainly wouldn't like to go ______"

"out on that kind of limb"

"to church and speak to F. J. Sheen"

"to the live screening of a Kate Smith show"

"without caution, since love is an evil word"
16 What does the speaker want you to understand when he says "see, see what I mean"?

When written backwards, love is spelled "evol" which sounds like evil. The similarity in phonetics suggests that it is an "evil" word.

Love is fickle and often leads to heartbreak so you should stay away

The Shadow knows what evils lurk in the hearts of men

You shouldn't trust love because nobody understands it
17 What do the unbelievers do to The Shadow?

They throw stones

They conceal their thoughts from him

They turn them in to the authorities

They fall in love with him
18 How many syllables does the final stanza have in total?

15: three lines of 4 syllables, one line of 3 syllables

14: three lines of 4 syllables, one line of 2 syllables

16: two lines of 4 syllables, one line of 6 syllables, and one line of 2 syllables

16: four lines of 4 syllables
19 What phrase is repeated twice in the final stanza?

"This Love"

"Oh, yes he does"

"An evil word it is"

"O, yes he does"
20 Wich rhetorical question does Baraka employ when talking about love?

"who hasn't lost from it?"

"who could face the evil that it is?"

"who understands it?"

"who knows what it is?"
21 What is a major symbol of "In the Memory of Radio"?

The church, which symbolizes the power of the wealthy

The radio, which symbolizes pervasive popular culture and cultural cohesion

The gaschamber, which symbolizes and evokes the atrocities commited in the Holocaust

The heart, which acts as a metaphorical organ that holds human emotion
22 What is a major theme of "In the Memory of Radio"?

Oral Tradition

Individuality

Popular Culture

All of the above
23 How would you characterize the voice of the speaker in "In the Memory of Radio"?

Musical and morbid

Nostalgic and flowery

Straightforward and lacking in emotion

Colloquial and darkly humorous
24 How many questions are asked in "In the Memory of Radio"?

6

7

9

8
25 Who is the alter ego of The Shadow?

Oral Roberts

F.J. Sheen

Goody Knight

Lamont Cranston

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Study Guide for In Memory of Radio

In Memory of Radio study guide contains a biography of Imamu Amiri Baraka, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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