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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 XI, what predator does Neruda use to describe himself?
(a) A hyena.
(b) A lion.
(c) A puma.
(d) A leopard.

2. In Sonnet XXXII, what starts the morning with "its truths scrambled" and that "drifts like a poor little boat?"
(a) The sun.
(b) The house.
(c) The city.
(d) The sea.

3. In Sonnet XIX, what is Matilde doing before she returns to "the world full of salt and sun?"
(a) Walking along the beach.
(b) Walking down a mountainside.
(c) Hiking in the woods.
(d) Swimming in the ocean.

4. In Sonnet XXI, what does Neruda tell Matilde is the reason he cries in his sleep?
(a) He dreams about her dying.
(b) He has terrible nightmares.
(c) He dreams about her leaving him.
(d) He is like a lost child in his dreams.

5. In Sonnet XXXI, where do Neruda and Matilde wander "like other country people?"
(a) The plains.
(b) The wilderness.
(c) The mountains.
(d) The city.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. In Sonnet VI, Neruda is lost in a forest and breaks off a twig, hoping for some moisture to ease his thirst. What effect does the twig's scent have on him?

3. What does Neruda plead with Matilde not to do in Sonnet XLV?

4. In Sonnet XXVII, Neruda says that Matilde is "as blue as the night" of what country?

5. In Sonnet XXXV, what brings morning and night to Neruda's eyes?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain how Matilde acts as a healer and protector in Sonnet XXIII.

2. What images does Neruda use in Sonnet XLVI to explain how he chose Matilde out of any other alternatives?

3. What are some ways Neruda describes Matilde and her house using images related to sound in Sonnet XXXVIII?

4. What is Neruda looking for when he studies other women in Sonnet XLIII?

5. In Sonnet XXXIII, where are Matilde and Neruda before they return "across the crackling sea?" Why do they return home?

6. List some examples of earth imagery Neruda uses to describe Matilde in Sonnet XXX.

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

8. What brings night and day to Neruda in Sonnet XXXV?

9. What obstacles does Neruda and Matilde's love face in Sonnet XXVIII? Does their love survive?

10. 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?"

(see the answer keys)

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