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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. In Sonnet LXXXII, what does Neruda say happens to him and Matilde when they dream?

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

3. In Sonnet XCVIII, what does Neruda say silences the word in the poem?

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

5. In Sonnet LXXXVII, Neruda contemplates the "ceaseless origins" of which human emotion?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Sonnet LV, what attacks the "honied contentment" Matilde and Neruda share?

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

3. Why has the house in Sonnet LXXV forgotten how to bloom?

4. In Sonnet XCIII, why does Neruda ask Matilde to leave her mouth half-open if she should die before him?

5. What defeats envy and rancor in Sonnet LVI?

6. in Sonnet LXIX, what does Neruda say is the possible definition of "nothingness?"

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

8. Why does Neruda write, "Woe is me, woe is me" at the beginning of Sonnet LXII?

9. In Sonnet LXXXIII, where is Matilde as she sleeps -- both in body and in spirit?

10. How does Neruda describe Matilde's laugh in Sonnet LI?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze Neruda's use of food imagery. What objects or concepts does Neruda relate to food? What properties do the described objects and the food they are compared to have in common? What do the food images in Neruda's poems indicate about the poet himself and how he views the object being described? Support any assertions with examples from the text.

Essay Topic 2

Many of Neruda's poems focus extensively on different animals or insects. Choose three poems that contain examples of animals or insects, and examine the importance of those beings in the poem. Use specific examples from the book.

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.

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