AnswersDRHS American Literature and CompositionIndividualism, Modern Capitalism, and Dystopian Visions

Beat Poetry Answers

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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.
2
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Read this excerpt from Walt Whitman’s poem “I Hear America Singing” from Leaves of Grass.I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong,The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work,The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck,The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as he stands.Whitman most likely uses this structure for his poem to

A
present a poem with a natural, conversational rhythm.
B
show his talent for using traditional rhyme scheme.
C
share a narrative poem using the storytelling structure.
D
reflect a lyrical style using stressed and unstressed syllables.
3

Read this excerpt from Walt Whitman’s poem “In Cabin'd Ships at Sea” from Leaves of Grass.The tones of unseen mystery, the vague and vast suggestions of the briny world, the liquid-flowing syllables, The perfume, the faint creaking of the cordage, the melancholy rhythm,The boundless vista and the horizon far and dim are all here, And this is ocean's poem. Why did the author most likely choose this structure for his poem?

A
The varied line lengths provide a steady rhythm.
B
The long-line structure allows Whitman to include a list.
C
The shorter lines provide Whitman’s background information.
D
The long and short lines create a visual image of waves.
4

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.
5

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.
6

Read this excerpt from Allen Ginsberg’s "A Supermarket in California."Wives in the avocados, babies in the tomatoes!What idea is expressed in this excerpt?

A
The narrator discovers parental neglect at the market.
B
The narrator notices gender roles when grocery shopping.
C
The narrator is frustrated by the crowds of people in the aisles.
D
The narrator is amazed by the market’s quantity of food and people.
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."Wives in the avocados, babies in the tomatoes!—and you, Garcia Lorca, what were you doing down by the watermelons? Ginsberg most likely makes this allusion to Garcia Lorca to

A
show his respect for Lorca for being an unconventional poet.
B
celebrate his affinity for Spanish culture and language.
C
explain his confusion over Lorca’s desire for cultural conformity.
D
describe their role in contributing to consumerism in the United States.
9

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.
10

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

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