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