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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, with absinthe, "trickle through silent sieves of kisses of bitter essence"?
(a) Arsenic.
(b) Wormwood.
(c) Lust.
(d) Fairies.

2. Writing of one of his principle motifs, the poet writes, "Transform stamen on stamen, / fill your interior _____."
(a) Rose.
(b) Death.
(c) Pitcher.
(d) Heart.

3. From what collection is "The Poet Praises" taken?
(a) Cycle--Nights.
(b) Letters to a Young Poet.
(c) Sonnets to Orpheus.
(d) Duino Elegies.

4. In "The Poet Praises," Rilke writes, "Maidens, you warm ones, maidens, you mute and dumb, / dance the taste of the experienced _____!"
(a) Jams.
(b) Fruit.
(c) Silence.
(d) Berries.

5. What does Rilke comment in the excerpt from the Introduction that Eros "cannot be"?
(a) Faithful.
(b) Joyful.
(c) Fair.
(d) Ugly.

Short Answer Questions

1. Of what fruit does Rilke write of in "The Poet Praises"?

2. Mood notes in his introduction to Rilke's poetry that the poet was "in no way an _______, nor in his life."

3. Who is one of the earliest figures of feminism who was friends with Rilke?

4. When did Rilke undertake "the great giving"?

5. What does Rilke write is a simplification of one's way of life?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Rilke suggest sexuality should be regarded in terms of innocence? What does he say of children?

2. Discuss the subjects of "Greek Love Talk" and "The Lovers." What imagery is used?

3. What is Rilke's discussion regarding religion and the Christian church specifically in his letters?

4. What does Rilke say of questions and answers in his first essay?

5. How does death intermingle with sex in The Seven Phallic Poems? How does childhood?

6. How does Mood describe Rilke's masculinity and femininity in his poetry? What does he say of Rilke's own life in this regard?

7. What does Rilke say regarding the institute of marriage and solitude?

8. What are the subjects discussed in the "Woman's Lament" poems?

9. In the fourth and fifth of The Seven Phallic Poems, what imagery does the poet use for climax?

10. What metaphors does Rilke use for a woman's womb in The Seven Phallic Poems?

(see the answer keys)

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