1 Which of the following best summarizes the main idea of "since feeling is first"? Wisdom is the highest virtue. You must be conscious of the consequences of your actions. Both in love and in life, you must prioritize feeling over thinking. Love is but an illusion. 2 What does "syntax" stand for in the poem? Inefficiency Emotion Reason Love 3 Why is the person "who pays any attention to the syntax of things" unable to "wholly kiss" the addressee? Because this person has a short attention span Because this person is too emotional for the addressee Because the addressee dislikes people who study syntax and grammar Because a kiss requires feeling, and this person prioritizes reason over feeling 4 Which of the following best describes the form and meter of this poem? Sonnet Blank verse Free verse Ballad meter 5 Which of the following is not a major theme of this poem? Love Religion Language Life and death 6 Which of the following does NOT contain an example of alliteration or consonance? “death i think is no parenthesis” “eyelids’ flutter” “feeling is first” "laugh, leaning” 7 What is ironic about this poem? It is not actually about feeling. Cummings uses syntax to write this poem. We know, but the speaker does not, that this love is going to fail. The speaker does not actually love the addressee. 8 Which of the following best describes the structure of this poem? Loose; resisting a narrative structure Following a linear narrative Heavily based on repetition Evocative of the structure of another poem 9 Which of the following is a personification? "kisses are a better fate" "life's not a paragraph" "i swear by all flowers" “my blood approves" 10 Which of the following does NOT accurately describe the tone of the speaker? Assertive Pessimistic Affectionate Philosophical 11 Which of the following best describes the setting of the poem? Urban Intergalactic Unspecified, abstract Pastoral 12 Which of the following is not an example of synecdoche in this poem? “my blood” "Spring is in the world" “my brain” “your eyelids’” 13 "Spring" symbolize which of the following? Death, trauma, and pain Aging, senility, and vulnerability War, violence, and discord Fertility, vitality, and youth 14 Which of the following is NOT a symbolic meaning that "flowers" may have in this poem? Fertility Ephemerality Artificiality Nature 15 Which of the following best describes the word play between "Spring" and "blood"? "Blood" can "spring" forth. "Spring" is a "bloody" season. Hot water "springs" are good for "blood" circulation. The speaker is trying to be resilient like a "spring" after witnessing "bloodshed" and violence. 16 What does the speaker mean when they say "death i think is no parenthesis"? What happens after death is a mystery. Death is not something we should keep in mind in everyday life. Death is an inevitable part of the human experience. Death is something that can be ignored. 17 How is the lady's attitude different from that of the speaker? She is more aggressive. She believes in logic and reason. She is less optimistic. She is more religious. 18 "since feeling is first" was published in which of the following books? The Enormous Room is 5 EIMI Tulips & Chimneys 19 In what year was this poem published? 1926 1936 1946 1916 20 Which of the following best describes the collection in which this poem was published? Violent and gory Traditional and conforming Kitsch and cheesy Experimental and unconventional 21 Which of the following is an example of mathematical language within the poem? "wholly to be a fool" "[...] is less than [...]" "we are for each other" "i swear by all flowers" 22 Which of the following INCORRECTLY describes the use of the word "wholly" in the poem? It is evocative of the word "holy." It evokes a sense of holiness and sacredness in addition to perfection. It is repeated twice. It is used in an alliteration. 23 "the best gesture of my brain is less than / your eyelids’ flutter" is an example of which of the following? Personification Synecdoche Asyndeton Alliteration 24 "laugh, leaning back in my arms / for life’s not a paragraph" does NOT contain which of the following? Alliteration Metaphor Synecdoche Sarcasm 25 Which of the following INCORRECTLY describes the use of the word "paragraph" in this poem? It is antithetical to the word "syntax" in an earlier stanza. It is parallel to the word "parenthesis" in the subsequent line. It may symbolize the artificiality of linguistic constructs. It may symbolize the simplicity of linguistic constructs.
