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 capable arrogant 3 What do the boys bring to the house? desserts funeral clothes flowers bed sheets 4 What are the wenches doing? hanging around taking care of the boys wrapping up the body 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 ice cream the dresser the woman the newspapers 7 What is embroidered on the sheet used to cover the body? flowers birds hearts leaves 8 What is the woman’s dresser lacking? a hand-held mirror its top drawer three glass knobs two cigars 9 How would you describe the woman’s dresser? cheap stained new ornate 10 What is the problem with the embroidered sheet? it is transparent it is too short it is fraying it is ugly 11 What part of the woman’s body might remain visible? her horny feet her closed eyes her wrinkled hands her stringy hair 12 What would that exposed body part tell us about the dead woman? she is stiff and heavy she is cold and silent she is unpopular and alone she is old and rich 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? life versus death masculine versus feminine fun versus sadness peace versus anger 15 Which of the following is NOT a way you could describe the tone of the poem? whimsical declarative sexual vengeful 16 What type of sentence makes up the majority of the poem? interjection interrogative explanatory imperative 17 Which formal device does Stevens use sparingly at the end of each stanza? allusion meter alliteration rhyme 18 What might the speaker mean by “Let be be finale of seem”? Let happiness only exist because of material things Let death be the end of imagination Let pure reality replace artifice and illusion Let all your poems only deal with simple topics 19 Which of the following does ice cream NOT represent in the poem? vivacity pleasure maturity desire 20 What do ice cream and death have in common? they are desirable they are cold they are rare they are inevitable 21 In this poem, Stevens primarily uses ________ details. scientific physical natural auditory 22 What is the spatial or temporal relationship of the two stanzas? they are two separate memories they occur in different seasons they occur in different rooms they occur in different cities 23 Where does the poem most likely take place? India Florida Maine Italy 24 According to the poem, which of the following is NOT a good descriptor for human life? sexual mundane pristinely organized energetic 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
