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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. In Sonnet XLII, what does Neruda NOT use to describe daylight?
(a) Bees.
(b) Glass.
(c) Fire.
(d) A yellow rock.

2. In Sonnet XIX, what insect does Neruda watch and contemplate?
(a) A butterfly.
(b) A bee.
(c) A dragonfly.
(d) A wasp.

3. In Sonnet XVIII, Neruda says that Matilde moves through the mountains as swiftly as what two objects?
(a) A breeze and a stream.
(b) A river and an arrow.
(c) A whisper and a prayer.
(d) A puma and a bird.

4. In Sonnet V, what does Neruda say he forgot about Matilde before he was in love with her?
(a) Matilde's laugh.
(b) Matilde's kisses.
(c) Matilde's hair.
(d) Matilde's hips.

5. In Sonnet XIII, what food does Neruda use to describe Matilde?
(a) Rice.
(b) Bread.
(c) Olives.
(d) Peaches.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Sonnet XXIV, describes the clouds and what "triumphant" group of people?

2. In Sonnet XIII, what phrase does Neruda insist does NOT describe Matilde?

3. In Sonnet XLII, what does Neruda say shields the earth from daylight?

4. In Sonnet VII, what does Neruda say reminds him of Matilde's eyes?

5. In Sonnet XXXII, what starts the morning with "its truths scrambled" and that "drifts like a poor little boat?"

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Neruda's description of Matilde's laugh contrast so strongly with her physical appearance in Sonnet L?

2. What is Neruda looking at in Sonnet XXIV that inspires his phrase, "...so many blues -- heavenly blues, sunken blues --/ our eyes are a little confused?"

3. How does Neruda describe Matilde's hands in Sonnet XL?

4. How is Neruda affected by the "bitter love" he experiences in Sonnet III?

5. What is Matilde's role in the "miniature empire" Neruda describes in Sonnet XXXVI?

6. What is Neruda's state of being before he meets Matilde in Sonnet XXV?

7. What does Neruda say about Matilde's hair in Sonnet XIV?

8. In Sonnet XI, Neruda is starving and is prowling for sustenance. What "food" is he looking for?

9. What gives Neruda and Matilde the "eternal life of the Natural" in Sonnet XLVIII?

10. Neruda says that "everything alive has its two sides," including love. In Sonnet XLIV, what are the two sides of Neruda's love for Matilde? Why are both sides important?

(see the answer keys)

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