American Pie

Idiomatic Expressions

100

1. 
   
   • Question: What is "made me shiver"?

Answer: This phrase means to feel anxious or fearful, often due to bad news.

200

1. 
   
   • Question: What is "take one more step"?

Answer: This expression signifies reaching a limit and being unable to continue.

300

• Question: What is "touched me deep inside"?

Answer: This phrase indicates a profound emotional impact.

400

1. 
   
   • Question: What is "bye bye, Miss American Pie"?

Answer: A farewell to an idealized version of America.

500

1. 
   
   • Question: What is "the levee was dry"?

Answer: This phrase reflects disappointment when expectations are unmet.

Cultural References

100

6. 
   
   • Question: What is "The Day the Music Died"?

Answer: This event marks the tragic day in 1959 when influential musicians died in a plane crash.

200

6. 
   
   • Question: Who is the "jester"?

Answer: The character often interpreted as representing Bob Dylan in the song.

300

6. 
   
   • Question: What is the Altamont Free Concert?

Answer: This concert symbolizes a turning point in the counterculture movement.

400

6. 
   
   • Question: Who are the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost?

Answer: The three figures representing key elements of Christianity in the song.

500

6. 
   
   • Question: What is "as American as apple pie"?

Answer: This phrase describes a quintessentially American concept or item.

Vocabulary

100

11. 
    
    • Question: What is "widow"?

Answer: A term for a woman whose spouse has died.

200

11. 
    
    • Question: What is "levee"?

Answer: This word describes an embankment built to prevent river overflow.

300

11. 
    
    • Question: What is "jester"?

Answer: A term for a humorous entertainer in royal courts.

400

11. 
    
    • Question: What is "swelter"?

Answer: A word that means to become hot and uncomfortable, especially due to heat.

500

11. 
    
    • Question: What is "quartet"?

Answer: This word refers to a group of four musicians or singers.

Historical Context

100

16. 
    
    • Question: What is February 3, 1959?

Answer: The date when Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper died in a plane crash.

200

16. 
    
    • Question: What is "helter-skelter"?

Answer: This phrase refers to the chaos and disorder mentioned in the song.

300

16. 
    
    • Question: What is a "lonely teenage broncin' buck"?

Answer: The term used for a young man who feels isolated and out of luck during his teenage years.

400

• Question: What is "the day the music died"?

• Answer: A metaphor for a significant cultural loss represented in the song.

500

16. 
    
    • Question: What is "a generation lost in space"?

Answer: This phrase suggests a generation's disorientation amidst societal changes.

Musical Allusions

100

21. 
    
    • Question: What is "That'll Be the Day"?

Answer: This line references a popular song by Buddy Holly that inspired McLean's chorus.

200

21. 
    
    • Question: Who is the "king"?

21. Answer: The character who represents traditional values being challenged in the song's narrative.
    •  

300

21. 
    
    • Question: What is rock 'n roll?

Answer: The type of music that McLean questions whether it can save one's soul.

400

21. 
    
    • Question: What does it mean to "upset the apple cart"?

Answer: This phrase suggests that something has gone wrong or disrupted plans.

500

21. 
    
    • Question: What are "apples and oranges"?

Answer: A common idiom that implies two things are too different to compare fairly.