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