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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Section 3.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Besides works by that writer, what other book does Rilke always have accessible to him?
(a) A volume of Shakespearian sonnets.
(b) The Origin of Species.
(c) The Torah.
(d) The Bible.

2. Rilke challenges the young poet to ask himself a question regarding his writing. What is that question?
(a) "Must all of these words be part of the work?"
(b) "Is my writing genuine?"
(c) "Must I write?"
(d) "Is my writing truly reflective of myself?"

3. Rilke indicates that in the future, men and women will approach each other differently than they do at the time of his writing. How will they approach each other?
(a) Not as lovers, but as friends.
(b) Not as enemies, but as friends.
(c) Not as sexual objects, but as human beings.
(d) Not as opposites, but as human beings.

4. In what year is the first letter from Rilke to the young poet written?
(a) 1910.
(b) 1903.
(c) 1909.
(d) 1902.

5. What does Rilke advise the young poet to buy in letter three?
(a) A collection of the complete works of Sophocles.
(b) A collection of the complete works of Homer.
(c) A collection of the complete works of William Shakespeare.
(d) A collection of the complete works of Jens Peter Jacobsen.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Rilke advise the young poet to seek in regard to his sexuality?

2. How old is the young poet when he begins corresponding with Rilke?

3. What does Rilke suggest that all humans share in, both women and men?

4. During what decade does the correspondence contained in this volume take place?

5. In the first letter, in what manner does Rilke suggest the young poet can tend to his personal growth?

(see the answer key)

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