Question

we had our bodies spun
on swivels of bone & faith,
through a lyric slipknot
of joy, & we knew we were
40 beautiful & dangerous.
—yusef komunyakaa
“slam, dunk, & hook”
from pleasure dome: new and collected poems, 2004
wesleyan university press

10 the images in lines 6 through 12 create a sense of
(1) youth ending
(2) anxious movement
(3) time stopping
(4) imaginative strategy

11 in the context of the poem as a whole, lines
24 through 26 present
(1) an example of the players’ excitement with
the game
(2) a shift in the players’ expectations
(3) a contrast to the players’ feelings of
invincibility
(4) an illustration of the players’ skill

12 lines 32 through 36 most clearly reflect the
players’
(1) competition (3) insecurity
(2) agility (4) devotion

13 in the context of the poem as a whole, the
mythological allusions best reflect the players’
sense of being
(1) popular (3) competent
(2) extraordinary (4) successful

14 which quotation best reflects a central idea of
the poem?
(1) “we’d corkscrew / up & dunk balls that
exploded” (lines 13 and 14)
(2) “we were metaphysical when girls / cheered
on the sidelines” (lines 18 and 19)
(3) “glistening with sweat / we rolled the ball
off / our fingertips” (lines 27 through 29)
(4) “of joy, & we knew we were / beautiful &
dangerous” (lines 39 and 40)

Explanation:

Question 10

To solve this, we analyze the images in lines 6 - 12 (not fully shown, but from the options, "time stopping" is a common poetic device to create a sense of a moment frozen, which aligns with the poem's tone of intense experience. Other options: "youth ending" is not suggested, "anxious movement" is incorrect (the poem has joy/excitement), "imaginative strategy" is not about strategy. So the best fit is time stopping.

Lines 24 - 26 (not shown, but contextually, if the poem has a shift from invincibility (earlier joy/skill) to a contrast, option 3: "a contrast to the players’ feelings of invincibility" makes sense. Other options: "excitement" is not a shift, "expectations shift" not indicated, "illustration of skill" is not a contrast. So the answer is the contrast to invincibility.

Lines 32 - 36 (not shown, but "agility" relates to physical movement in sports (basketball, as per the poem's title "Slam, Dunk, & Hook"). "Competition" is too broad, "insecurity" is opposite, "devotion" is not about movement. So agility is correct.

Answer:

(3) time stopping

Question 11