View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the season that Neruda describes in Sonnet LXXXV?

2. In Sonnet LII, what does Matilde do that causes the whole earth to sing?

3. In Sonnet LXXVIII, what does Neruda say he has fought against?

4. In Sonnet LVIII, where does Neruda go while he is "singing with the wind?"

5. In Sonnet LXIII, what land does Neruda call "savage" and "deadly?"

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Neruda respond to his critics and those who gossip about him in Sonnet LVII?

2. How does Neruda contrast cold and warmth in Sonnet LXXXVIII?

3. In Sonnet XCI, what overshadows the life that he gives to Matilde "like a swelling cluster of fruit?"

4. What effect does Matilde's absence have on Neruda in Sonnet LXV?

5. How does Neruda describe his homeland in Sonnet LXIII?

6. What does Neruda ask of the "four-sided constellation" in Sonnet LXXXVI?

7. What are Neruda and Matilde looking for in Sonnet LXXI?

8. What does Neruda write are the effects of modern society's infatuation with flying in Sonnet XCVII?

9. In Sonnet LXXII, what causes Neruda to exclaim, "Let's go -- get up -- pin back your hair -- take off and land?"

10. In Sonnet XCII, what does Neruda choose to contemplate instead of the inevitable death of either himself or Matilde?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Wood is a recurring theme in Neruda's 100 Sonnets. Analyze Neruda's usage of that motif and examine the symbolism and imagery associated with wood. Be sure to support all assertions with examples from the book.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the importance of the forest in Neruda's poems. Topics one may want to consider include the forest's effect on Neruda, its role in developing Neruda and Matilde as characters, and the concepts or moods the forest symbolizes in various poems. Be sure to include specific examples from the text.

Essay Topic 3

In many of Neruda's sonnets, particularly those near the end of the 100 Sonnets, Neruda deals extensively with the concept of death. How does the author view death? What are his wishes for himself if Matilde dies before he does? What are his wishes for Matilde should he die first? What does he believe will happen to the souls of the two lovers after their deaths? Use quotes from the sonnets to support any assertions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,019 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample