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 _______"
"recognize how evil love actually is?"

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

"have never loved at all?"

"put linoleum in your living rooms?"
3 According to The Shadow, what does he himself know?
How to transform into something that is visible to others

Unbelievers are going to throw stones at him

The evil that lurks in the hearts of men

How to "cloud" opponents brains so that they can't see him
4 What does the collective listen to first on Saturday mornings?
Let's Pretend

a show about undersea adventures

Kate Smith

Red Lantern
5 Which answer choice contains a proper name that does NOT appear in "In Memory of Radio"?
Duke Smith

Goody Knight

F.J. Sheen

Oral Roberts
6 What regional morning news show is referenced in the first stanza?
WNBC

WKCR

WCBS

WFOX
7 What does the speaker of the poem think about WCBS and Kate Smith?
That they aren't as good as jazz music

That they are unattractive

That they're alright, but not the best

That they pretty great and popular for a reason
8 What does the speaker think he might be at the beginning of Stanza III?
F.J. Sheen

Oral Roberts

A sage

A Mandrake
9 According to the poem, what do Mandrakes produce on a weekly basis?
Hypnotic gestures

Hallucinations

Pregnancies

Drug overdose
10 What can't the speaker do that F.J. Sheen can do?
Be famous

Tell you how to get saved and make money

Heal others with divine powers

Perform a church service on live television
11 What is the speaker's evidence for love being an "evil word"?
The speaker's heart has recently been broken

It has many negative associations to the speaker

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

The Shadow can see into the hearts of men and therefore knows that love is a fickle illusion at best
12 What did the collective listen to second on Saturday mornings?
Kate Smith

Let's Pretend (at 11)

The Red Lantern

The Red Lantern & his undersea folk
13 What has the poet retained from childhood?
Great powers of deception

A love for The Shadow

Listening to the radio

A distrust of the concept of love
14 Who is speaking in the second-to-last stanza of the poem?
Jack Kerouac

Amiri Baraka

The poet

The Shadow
15 Finish this statement: "I certainly wouldn't like to go ______"
"without caution, since love is an evil word"

"to the live screening of a Kate Smith show"

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

"out on that kind of limb"
16 What does the speaker want you to understand when he says "see, see what I mean"?
You shouldn't trust love because nobody understands it

The Shadow knows what evils lurk in the hearts of men

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

When written backwards, love is spelled "evol" which sounds like evil. The similarity in phonetics suggests that it is an "evil" word.
17 What do the unbelievers do to The Shadow?
They fall in love with him

They conceal their thoughts from him

They turn them in to the authorities

They throw stones
18 How many syllables does the final stanza have in total?
16: two lines of 4 syllables, one line of 6 syllables, and one line of 2 syllables

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

16: four lines of 4 syllables

15: three lines of 4 syllables, one line of 3 syllables
19 What phrase is repeated twice in the final stanza?
"This Love"

"O, yes he does"

"Oh, yes he does"

"An evil word it is"
20 Wich rhetorical question does Baraka employ when talking about love?
"who could face the evil that it is?"

"who knows what it is?"

"who hasn't lost from it?"

"who understands it?"
21 What is a major symbol of "In the Memory of Radio"?
The heart, which acts as a metaphorical organ that holds human emotion

The radio, which symbolizes pervasive popular culture and cultural cohesion

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

The church, which symbolizes the power of the wealthy
22 What is a major theme of "In the Memory of Radio"?
Individuality

Oral Tradition

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

Straightforward and lacking in emotion

Colloquial and darkly humorous

Nostalgic and flowery
24 How many questions are asked in "In the Memory of Radio"?
6

9

8

7
25 Who is the alter ego of The Shadow?
Lamont Cranston

Oral Roberts

F.J. Sheen

Goody Knight

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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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