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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What object does Neruda use in Sonnet XLVII to describe Matilde?

2. Which image does Neruda NOT use to describe Matilde in Sonnet XXIX?

3. In Sonnet XXXIV, Neruda says that Matilde is the daughter of what natural body?

4. In Sonnet XLI, what does Neruda hint will bring an end to the "rough times" he describes?

5. In Sonnet XL, what month does Neruda say "trembled like a butterfly?"

Short Essay Questions

1. in Sonnet V, what does Neruda realize after he wanders through the streets "like a man wounded?"

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

3. In Sonnet VII, what causes Neruda's emotions to burst forth like "geysers flooding from deep in its vault?"

4. What imagery does Neruda use to compare Matilde to bread in Sonnet XIII?

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

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

7. What are some aspects of Matilde's ugliness and beauty does Neruda list in Sonnet XX?

8. What imagery does Neruda use to describe Matilde as he watches her walk by the sea in Sonnet X?

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

10. List some examples of how Neruda compares Matilde's body to the universe in Sonnet XVI.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Assess Neruda's use of the sonnet as a form of poetry. How are Neruda's poems similar to traditional sonnets? How are they different? How does Neruda view his sonnets when he compares them to those of other poets? Be specific.

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the importance of Matilde and Neruda's childhoods throughout the 100 Sonnets. What does the author reveal to the reader about the childhood of each individual? What role does each individual's childhood have on them? What role does childhood play in their relationship with each other? Use quotes from the sonnets to back up all arguments.

Essay Topic 3

Examine Neruda's opinions on literature as a whole, on poetry, on his own work and talent as a writer and on other poets. How does he feel about each subject? Support all arguments with specific examples.

(see the answer keys)

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