1 Which of the following best summarizes the main idea of "since feeling is first"? Wisdom is the highest virtue. You must be conscious of the consequences of your actions. Both in love and in life, you must prioritize feeling over thinking. Love is but an illusion. 2 What does "syntax" stand for in the poem? Inefficiency Reason Love Emotion 3 Why is the person "who pays any attention to the syntax of things" unable to "wholly kiss" the addressee? Because the addressee dislikes people who study syntax and grammar Because a kiss requires feeling, and this person prioritizes reason over feeling Because this person has a short attention span Because this person is too emotional for the addressee 4 Which of the following best describes the form and meter of this poem? Blank verse Ballad meter Sonnet Free verse 5 Which of the following is not a major theme of this poem? Life and death Language Love Religion 6 Which of the following does NOT contain an example of alliteration or consonance? "laugh, leaning” “death i think is no parenthesis” “eyelids’ flutter” “feeling is first” 7 What is ironic about this poem? Cummings uses syntax to write this poem. We know, but the speaker does not, that this love is going to fail. The speaker does not actually love the addressee. It is not actually about feeling. 8 Which of the following best describes the structure of this poem? Following a linear narrative Heavily based on repetition Loose; resisting a narrative structure Evocative of the structure of another poem 9 Which of the following is a personification? "life's not a paragraph" "kisses are a better fate" "i swear by all flowers" “my blood approves" 10 Which of the following does NOT accurately describe the tone of the speaker? Pessimistic Philosophical Assertive Affectionate 11 Which of the following best describes the setting of the poem? Urban Unspecified, abstract Intergalactic Pastoral 12 Which of the following is not an example of synecdoche in this poem? “my blood” "Spring is in the world" “your eyelids’” “my brain” 13 "Spring" symbolize which of the following? Death, trauma, and pain War, violence, and discord Aging, senility, and vulnerability Fertility, vitality, and youth 14 Which of the following is NOT a symbolic meaning that "flowers" may have in this poem? Artificiality Ephemerality Nature Fertility 15 Which of the following best describes the word play between "Spring" and "blood"? "Spring" is a "bloody" season. The speaker is trying to be resilient like a "spring" after witnessing "bloodshed" and violence. Hot water "springs" are good for "blood" circulation. "Blood" can "spring" forth. 16 What does the speaker mean when they say "death i think is no parenthesis"? What happens after death is a mystery. Death is an inevitable part of the human experience. Death is something that can be ignored. Death is not something we should keep in mind in everyday life. 17 How is the lady's attitude different from that of the speaker? She believes in logic and reason. She is more aggressive. She is more religious. She is less optimistic. 18 "since feeling is first" was published in which of the following books? is 5 The Enormous Room EIMI Tulips & Chimneys 19 In what year was this poem published? 1926 1936 1946 1916 20 Which of the following best describes the collection in which this poem was published? Kitsch and cheesy Experimental and unconventional Violent and gory Traditional and conforming 21 Which of the following is an example of mathematical language within the poem? "i swear by all flowers" "wholly to be a fool" "[...] is less than [...]" "we are for each other" 22 Which of the following INCORRECTLY describes the use of the word "wholly" in the poem? It is used in an alliteration. It is repeated twice. It evokes a sense of holiness and sacredness in addition to perfection. It is evocative of the word "holy." 23 "the best gesture of my brain is less than / your eyelids’ flutter" is an example of which of the following? Alliteration Personification Synecdoche Asyndeton 24 "laugh, leaning back in my arms / for life’s not a paragraph" does NOT contain which of the following? Metaphor Synecdoche Sarcasm Alliteration 25 Which of the following INCORRECTLY describes the use of the word "paragraph" in this poem? It may symbolize the artificiality of linguistic constructs. It may symbolize the simplicity of linguistic constructs. It is parallel to the word "parenthesis" in the subsequent line. It is antithetical to the word "syntax" in an earlier stanza.