Senior Secondary (HKDSE) · Literature in English

e. e. cummings : ‘Buffalo Bill’s’, ‘maggie and milly and molly and may’, ‘nobody loses all the time’ : Practice Questions

5 multiple-choice questions marked as you go, and 5 written questions with worked solutions. All on e. e. cummings : ‘Buffalo Bill’s’, ‘maggie and milly and molly and may’, ‘nobody loses all the time’ .

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Question 1

1 mark

In 'maggie and milly and molly and may', what common setting do the four girls share at the beginning of the poem?

Question 2

1 mark

In 'nobody loses all the time', the line "he hadn’t any luck" is contrasted with "and he could always think of something". What effect does this juxtaposition create?

Question 3

1 mark

The poem concludes with the lines: "for whatever we lose (like a you or a me) / it’s always ourselves we find in the sea". What does this concluding couplet suggest about the overall theme of the poem?

Question 4

1 mark

In e. e. cummings' poem 'Buffalo Bill’s', what is the primary activity associated with Buffalo Bill that the speaker emphasizes?

Question 5

1 mark

Milly "by a shell that sang so sweetly she couldn’t remember her troubles, and felt herself so happy she almost cried". What does Milly's experience with the shell suggest about her character?

Question 6

2 marks

In the poem maggie and milly and molly and may, what specific creature does Molly encounter on the beach, and how does it react to her presence?

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Question 7

4 marks

In "Buffalo Bill's," identify one specific way e. e. cummings manipulates traditional poetic structure or grammar to reflect the swift, almost mythic quality of Buffalo Bill's persona.

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Question 8

6 marks

Discuss the poetic effect of the compressed phrase onetwothreefourfive pigeonsjustlikethat in Buffalo Bill’s regarding the representation of time and skill.

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Question 9

4 marks

In the poem 'maggie and milly and molly and may', the four girls encounter different objects on the beach.
(a) Identify what Molly and Maggie each find. (2 points)
(b) Briefly explain what these findings suggest about their emotional state or personality. (2 points)

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Question 10

5 marks

e. e. cummings' poem 'Buffalo Bill's' is notable for its innovative structure and language. Discuss how cummings uses unconventional poetic devices, such as line breaks, spacing, and capitalization, to convey his message about Buffalo Bill. In your answer, analyse how these stylistic choices contribute to the poem's commentary on heroism, fame, and mortality.

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