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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. In the poem "Les Luths," Frank O'Hara writes of wondering what _______________ is doing.

2. Which cited Bob Dylan song asks when African Americans will be free?

3. When did Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, and LeRoi Jones throw a party for the prison release of Ray Bremser?

4. "Poem from Jail" discusses the necessity of banning ____________.

5. Who "poofed into fat air" in the poem "Columbia U Poesy Reading--1975"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Philip Whalen? How does Whalen's poem about Sourdough Mountain differ from Snyder's?

2. What political allusions does Diane DiPrima make in "April Fool Birthday Poem for Grandpa"?

3. What artistic and literary allusions are in "The Canticle of Jack Kerouac"?

4. Who is Philip Lamantia and what works of his are in the anthology?

5. What is the subject of "Kentucky Ham"?

6. What does Carolyn Cassady say of her marriage in "Off the Road"?

7. What similes does Bremser use in the poem "Funny Lotus Blues..."? Why?

8. How did the term "Beat" evolve into the late 50s and early 60s?

9. Describe the author and subject of "Poet of the Streets."

10. Describe the irony of Peter Orlovsky's "Lepers Cry."

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the New York School of Poetry? When did it originate? Who were the key members? How does it relate to the Beat Generation?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the poet Michael McClure. What are his contributions to the Beat Generation? In what works has he been immortalized?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the importance of the novel Go and John Clellon Holmes' impact on the Beat Generation. What was the response of the Beats upon Go's publication?

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This section contains 825 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample