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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. According to Rilke's poem, how did the prodigal son grow up?
(a) Well-loved.
(b) Fearful.
(c) Unappreciatively.
(d) Mistreated.

2. What is the longest poem in Book 1, Chapter 5?
(a) "Fear."
(b) "For the Sake of a Single Poem."
(c) "The Bird Feeders."
(d) "The Prodigal Son."

3. How does Rilke make up for writing in generalized poetic form?
(a) He creates dynamic settings.
(b) He introuces new characters randomly.
(c) He varies line length.
(d) He varies the tone from line to line.

4. What does Rilke disregard in writing his elegies?
(a) Expertise.
(b) Restraint.
(c) Regard for syntax and sentence structure.
(d) Poetic license.

5. What is similar about each elegy in Book 1, Chapter 7?
(a) Setting.
(b) Length.
(c) Diction.
(d) Subject.

Short Answer Questions

1. The poems in Book 1, Chapter 7 are listed as being written during ____________.

2. According to Rilke, what do poems written in one's youth lack?

3. In "To Holderlin," which of the following is referenced in the first stanza?

4. When Orpheus is called in one of the sonnets, who gathers to listen in silence?

5. In Rilke's poem, what type of activity is feeding birds?

Short Essay Questions

1. What types of fears does Rilke speak to in "Fears"?

2. What is the distinction between a poem and an elegy?

3. Describe "To Music."

4. Who does the invisible 'you' reference in the first poem in "Sonnets to Orpheus"?

5. Describe the elegy about angels.

6. How did the editors connect praise and grief when putting together Rilke's sonnets?

7. What allusions does Rilke use in his poems, especially in the poem "Ariel"?

8. Describe "To Holderlin."

9. How does Rilke give in to tradition while writing, as exemplified in his elegies?

10. What is "Faces" about?

(see the answer keys)

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