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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. The commentator notes that all of the poems in "Rilke's Poems on Love" were written when he was how old?

2. Which poem begins with the line, "And the last perhaps will not return"?

3. In the excerpt of Rilke's letter in the Introduction, what essay does he refer to reading?

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

5. What does Rilke comment in the excerpt from the Introduction that Eros "cannot be"?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What references to Venus does Rilke make in the untitled poems of "Poems of Other Difficulties"?

3. What does Mood say in regard to Rilke's vision of Eros in the Prologue?

4. What does Rilke say regarding the young and marriage in his letters?

5. What reference does Rilke use to the god Hermes in The Seven Phallic Poems?

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

7. In the untitled poems of "Rilke's Poems of Other Difficulties," how does Rilke write of the gods?

8. What does Mood say regarding Rilke's sensuality in the introduction to his poems?

9. Discuss the imagery and symbolism in the poems "From the Cycle: Nights" and "Force of Gravity."

10. What happens when one gives oneself completely over to love, according to the poet?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the subject and theme of "Mausoleum"? What mythological allusion does the poet use in this poem? What structural components stand out in this poem?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss "Magic" and "Force of Gravity" in terms of subject, theme, symbolism, imagery, and structure.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the poems, "Greek Love-Talk" and "The Lovers," describing an analysis of their structure, the placement of punctuation and capitalization, and assonance or alliteration.

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