In Memory of Radio Quizzes

In Memory of Radio Quiz

1 Based on textual evidence alone, what is the relationship between Jack Kerouac and the speaker of the poem?

They both have reflected on the divinity of Lamont Cranston

They helped to create the character of Lamont Cranston together

They are contemporary literature buddies who like to talk about superheroes together

They are smarter than the majority of people which means that their tastes are more refined
2 Finish this statement: "It is better to have loved and lost / Than to _______"

"recognize how evil love actually is?"

"put linoleum in your living rooms?"

"have never loved at all?"

"listen to F.J. Sheen tell you how to get saved & rich?"
3 According to The Shadow, what does he himself know?

How to "cloud" opponents brains so that they can't see him

Unbelievers are going to throw stones at him

How to transform into something that is visible to others

The evil that lurks in the hearts of men
4 What does the collective listen to first on Saturday mornings?

Let's Pretend

Kate Smith

Red Lantern

a show about undersea adventures
5 Which answer choice contains a proper name that does NOT appear in "In Memory of Radio"?

F.J. Sheen

Goody Knight

Duke Smith

Oral Roberts
6 What regional morning news show is referenced in the first stanza?

WNBC

WCBS

WFOX

WKCR
7 What does the speaker of the poem think about WCBS and Kate Smith?

That they aren't as good as jazz music

That they are unattractive

That they pretty great and popular for a reason

That they're alright, but not the best
8 What does the speaker think he might be at the beginning of Stanza III?

Oral Roberts

A sage

F.J. Sheen

A Mandrake
9 According to the poem, what do Mandrakes produce on a weekly basis?

Hypnotic gestures

Hallucinations

Drug overdose

Pregnancies
10 What can't the speaker do that F.J. Sheen can do?

Perform a church service on live television

Tell you how to get saved and make money

Be famous

Heal others with divine powers
11 What is the speaker's evidence for love being an "evil word"?

The speaker's heart has recently been broken

When you turn it backwards it spells out "evol," which sounds like "evil"

The Shadow can see into the hearts of men and therefore knows that love is a fickle illusion at best

It has many negative associations to the speaker
12 What did the collective listen to second on Saturday mornings?

Kate Smith

The Red Lantern

Let's Pretend (at 11)

The Red Lantern & his undersea folk
13 What has the poet retained from childhood?

Great powers of deception

A distrust of the concept of love

A love for The Shadow

Listening to the radio
14 Who is speaking in the second-to-last stanza of the poem?

The poet

The Shadow

Amiri Baraka

Jack Kerouac
15 Finish this statement: "I certainly wouldn't like to go ______"

"without caution, since love is an evil word"

"out on that kind of limb"

"to the live screening of a Kate Smith show"

"to church and speak to F. J. Sheen"
16 What does the speaker want you to understand when he says "see, see what I mean"?

Love is fickle and often leads to heartbreak so you should stay away

You shouldn't trust love because nobody understands it

The Shadow knows what evils lurk in the hearts of men

When written backwards, love is spelled "evol" which sounds like evil. The similarity in phonetics suggests that it is an "evil" word.
17 What do the unbelievers do to The Shadow?

They conceal their thoughts from him

They turn them in to the authorities

They fall in love with him

They throw stones
18 How many syllables does the final stanza have in total?

16: four lines of 4 syllables

16: two lines of 4 syllables, one line of 6 syllables, and one line of 2 syllables

15: three lines of 4 syllables, one line of 3 syllables

14: three lines of 4 syllables, one line of 2 syllables
19 What phrase is repeated twice in the final stanza?

"This Love"

"O, yes he does"

"Oh, yes he does"

"An evil word it is"
20 Wich rhetorical question does Baraka employ when talking about love?

"who could face the evil that it is?"

"who hasn't lost from it?"

"who understands it?"

"who knows what it is?"
21 What is a major symbol of "In the Memory of Radio"?

The church, which symbolizes the power of the wealthy

The radio, which symbolizes pervasive popular culture and cultural cohesion

The gaschamber, which symbolizes and evokes the atrocities commited in the Holocaust

The heart, which acts as a metaphorical organ that holds human emotion
22 What is a major theme of "In the Memory of Radio"?

Individuality

Oral Tradition

Popular Culture

All of the above
23 How would you characterize the voice of the speaker in "In the Memory of Radio"?

Straightforward and lacking in emotion

Musical and morbid

Colloquial and darkly humorous

Nostalgic and flowery
24 How many questions are asked in "In the Memory of Radio"?

9

7

8

6
25 Who is the alter ego of The Shadow?

F.J. Sheen

Oral Roberts

Goody Knight

Lamont Cranston

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Study Guide for In Memory of Radio

In Memory of Radio study guide contains a biography of Imamu Amiri Baraka, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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