1 Who makes the ice cream? the newspaper boys the roller of big cigars the mother the speaker 2 Which is NOT an adjective you could apply to the cigar man, based on the poem's description of him? arrogant capable strong masculine 3 What do the boys bring to the house? funeral clothes desserts flowers bed sheets 4 What are the wenches doing? taking care of the boys hanging around complaining wrapping up the body 5 How are the ice cream curds described? delicious surprising unwanted lustful 6 What object in the poem is NOT made to seem old? the newspapers the dresser the woman the ice cream 7 What is embroidered on the sheet used to cover the body? birds hearts flowers leaves 8 What is the woman’s dresser lacking? two cigars its top drawer a hand-held mirror three glass knobs 9 How would you describe the woman’s dresser? cheap new stained ornate 10 What is the problem with the embroidered sheet? it is too short it is fraying it is transparent it is ugly 11 What part of the woman’s body might remain visible? her stringy hair her horny feet her closed eyes her wrinkled hands 12 What would that exposed body part tell us about the dead woman? she is stiff and heavy she is old and rich she is unpopular and alone she is cold and silent 13 What kind of light does the speaker ask for in the penultimate line? the kitchen light the sunlight through the window the lit candles the lamp beam 14 What is the central contrast of the poem? fun versus sadness life versus death peace versus anger masculine versus feminine 15 Which of the following is NOT a way you could describe the tone of the poem? declarative vengeful sexual whimsical 16 What type of sentence makes up the majority of the poem? interrogative interjection explanatory imperative 17 Which formal device does Stevens use sparingly at the end of each stanza? rhyme alliteration allusion meter 18 What might the speaker mean by “Let be be finale of seem”? Let all your poems only deal with simple topics Let happiness only exist because of material things Let pure reality replace artifice and illusion Let death be the end of imagination 19 Which of the following does ice cream NOT represent in the poem? pleasure desire vivacity maturity 20 What do ice cream and death have in common? they are desirable they are inevitable they are rare they are cold 21 In this poem, Stevens primarily uses ________ details. scientific auditory physical natural 22 What is the spatial or temporal relationship of the two stanzas? they occur in different cities they occur in different rooms they are two separate memories they occur in different seasons 23 Where does the poem most likely take place? Florida India Maine Italy 24 According to the poem, which of the following is NOT a good descriptor for human life? mundane sexual pristinely organized energetic 25 Why did Stevens count this poem as his favorite? it is gaudy like poetry itself it references the most Classical poets it is extremely personal it has a very complex meter
