Beat Poetry Answers

10 verified answers2 views
1
Free Preview

Read this phrase from Allen Ginsberg’s "A Supermarket in California."The trees add shade to shade.What is the meaning of this phrase?

A
The narrator is contrasting the images of the market to nature.
B
The narrator is praising the loveliness of his cottage yard.
C
The narrator is remarking that trees make the night darker.
D
The narrator is wondering how he will find his way home.
2
Free Preview

Read this excerpt from Diane Di Prima’s poem "Buddhist New Year Song."I could see the planet from which we had comeI could not remember (then) what our purpose wasbut remembered the name Mahakala, in the dawnin the dawn confronted Shiva, the cold lightrevealed the “mindborn” worldsThese allusions connect to the title of the poem by

A
reinforcing that the New Year is built from the end of the old.
B
indicating that the New Year happens in “cold” light.
C
explaining how each New Year is like a new planet.
D
establishing that spirituality will be important in the New Year.
3

I saw you, Walt Whitman, childless, lonely old grubber, poking among the meats in the refrigerator.

t
to suggest a knowledge of Walt Whitman and his poetic devices
t
to suggest an interest in Walt Whitman and his shopping habits
t
to suggest a critical judgement against Walt Whitman and other poets
t
to suggest a familiarity and kinship with Walt Whitman and other outcasts
4

What thoughts I have of you tonight, Walt Whitman, for I walked down the sidestreets under the trees with a headache self-conscious looking at the full moon.

T
The long-line structure serves as an introduction to the narrative.
T
The long-line structure provides background for the allusion.
T
The long-line structure imitates stream-of-conscious thought.
T
The long-line structure allows for predictable rhyme schemes.
5

Read this stanza from Allen Ginsberg’s "A Supermarket in California."We strode down the open corridors together in our solitary fancy tasting artichokes, possessing every frozen delicacy, and never passing the cashier. Ginsberg most likely uses long-line free verse here to

A
draw attention to the poem’s patterns of rhyme and meter.
B
express his thoughts freely and without constraints.
C
keep the content of the poem simple and easy to imagine.
D
show his desire to return to an unassuming existence.
6

In the poem "A Supermarket in California," Ginsberg most likely uses free verse to show

A
the role that jazz music played in the Beat movement.
B
the influence that Walt Whitman had in his life.
C
his rebellious attitude toward uniformity in American culture.
D
his desire to be part of mainstream society.
8

I heard you asking questions of each: Who killed the pork chops? What price bananas? Are you my Angel?

T
The structure imitates casual conversation.
T
The structure reflects narrative storytelling.
T
The structure mirrors classic poetic principles.
T
The structure suggests an epic tale of morality.

Did you find these answers helpful?