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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. What holiday is Rilke marking with his sixth letter?
(a) Christmas.
(b) All Saints Day.
(c) The New Year.
(d) Easter.

2. In letter five, what statue does Rilke mention is near his place of residence?
(a) A statue by Rodin.
(b) An equestrian statue of Julius Caesar.
(c) An equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius.
(d) A statue of Ovid.

3. How does Rilke say individuals can help prepare for God's coming?
(a) Through religious rituals.
(b) Through art.
(c) Through acts of love.
(d) Through prayer.

4. What does Rilke imply about losing God?
(a) Losing God is necessary if one is to find God.
(b) Losing God is part of growing up.
(c) God does not exist.
(d) Once found, God cannot be lost.

5. What does Rilke say about fears in the world in letter eight?
(a) Fears must be ignored.
(b) Gears must be acknowledged.
(c) Fears are natural.
(d) We have created the fears.

Short Answer Questions

1. In letter seven, what does Rilke say that love should be?

2. Why does Rilke believe that Rome makes one sad for the first few days of visiting it?

3. Who resists the future change in women that Rilke notes in letter seven?

4. Rilke says that as time passes, women will stop doing what?

5. What famous author does Rilke reference in letter eight?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Rilke say that the average person will continue to do in regards to love?

2. What does Rilke mean when he says that the names of things are often misrepresented of what things are?

3. How does Rilke respond to the young poet's expression of fear that the young poet has lost God?

4. What does Rilke say about the amount of beauty in Rome?

5. Explain what Rilke means when in letter eight he says that sadness "are the moments when something new has entered into us".

6. Why does Rilke send a copy of the young poet's sonnet with letter seven?

7. What can be inferred about the mental and emotional state of the young poet from Rilke's reply in letter six?

8. What is Rilke's definition of love?

9. Rilke comments on the young poet's profession and compares the young poet's profession to other professions. What is Rilke's general idea about professions?

10. In letter six, Rilke encourages the young poet to maintain what he calls "a child's wise incomprehension" rather than joining in the "defensiveness and disdain" that are shared by the masses. What does he mean by this?

(see the answer keys)

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