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