Beat Poetry Answers

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1
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Read this excerpt 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. In this excerpt, the speaker of the poem and his imaginary companion are

A
sampling items but not paying for them.
B
buying frozen goods from the grocery store.
C
loading up their shopping cart with frozen food.
D
marveling at the offerings available at the market.
2
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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.
3

Read this stanza from Allen Ginsberg’s "A Supermarket in California."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.Why does the author most likely use free verse for this stanza?

A
The long-line structure serves as an introduction to the narrative.
B
The long-line structure provides background for the allusion.
C
The long-line structure imitates stream-of-conscious thought.
D
The long-line structure allows for predictable rhyme schemes.
4

Read this stanza from Allen Ginsberg’s "A Supermarket in California."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.Which statement best describes the scene in the first stanza of Ginsberg’s poem?

A
The speaker is hastily making his way to the local supermarket to meet up with an old friend.
B
The speaker is busy gazing at the full moon when he bumps into a former acquaintance.
C
The speaker is taking a lonely stroll at night while reflecting on the words of a favorite poet.
D
The speaker is eager to return to the safety of his home and read poems by Walt Whitman.
5

Read this stanza from Allen Ginsberg’s "A Supermarket in California."I heard you asking questions of each: Who killed the pork chops? What price bananas? Are you my Angel?What is happening in this stanza?

A
The speaker is imagining the questions Whitman would ask if he were there.
B
The speaker is dreaming about what goods he will be purchasing.
C
The speaker is asking the grocery clerks about the freshness of the meat and the cost of the fruit.
D
The speaker is quizzing the butcher and produce workers to see if they are knowledgeable employees.
6

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.
7

Read the last stanza from Allen Ginsberg’s "A Supermarket in California."Ah, dear father, graybeard, lonely old courage-teacher, what America did you have when Charon quit poling his ferry and you got out on a smoking bank and stood watching the boat disappear on the black waters of Lethe? At the end of his poem, Ginsberg uses these allusions to convey a feeling of

A
hopefulness that modern-day America can turn back the hands of time.
B
doom and gloom caused by the pressure of conforming with the middle-class American society.
C
sadness since the speaker will never experience the same America as in Whitman’s day.
D
pride and appreciation for his fellow poet’s role in American literary history.
8

Read this excerpt from Allen Ginsberg’s "A Supermarket in California."I saw you, Walt Whitman, childless, lonely old grubber, poking among the meats in the refrigerator. Why does Ginsberg make an allusion to Walt Whitman in this excerpt?

A
to suggest a knowledge of Walt Whitman and his poetic devices
B
to suggest an interest in Walt Whitman and his shopping habits
C
to suggest a critical judgement against Walt Whitman and other poets
D
to suggest a familiarity and kinship with Walt Whitman and other outcasts
9

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.
10

Read this excerpt from Allen Ginsberg’s "A Supermarket in California."I heard you asking questions of each: Who killed the pork chops? What price bananas? Are you my Angel?Why does the author most likely use free verse for this excerpt?

A
The structure imitates casual conversation.
B
The structure reflects narrative storytelling.
C
The structure mirrors classic poetic principles.
D
The structure suggests an epic tale of morality.

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