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