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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who is Rilke describing with the following line: "Praising is what matters! He was summoned for that"?
(a) Orpheus.
(b) Hermes.
(c) Apollo.
(d) Zeus.

2. Which of the following is contained in the appendix of Book 1, Chapter 7?
(a) A glossary and a map.
(b) Enitrely new poems.
(c) An index of themes in the elegies.
(d) Original drafts.

3. In what year were the poems in "Sonnets to Orpheus" written?
(a) 1945.
(b) 1914.
(c) 1923.
(d) 1935.

4. What does the layout of the page show the reader about modern poetry?
(a) Modern poets put more emphasis on looks than intelligence.
(b) Modern poets think about the printed layout of their work.
(c) Modern poets are conceited.
(d) Modern poets don't care about organization.

5. What does the poet become frustrated by in "Sonnets to Orpheus"?
(a) HIs lack of love.
(b) His inability to be an animal.
(c) His conscience.
(d) The limits of being a human.

6. What does Rilke refer to as "pampered favorites"?
(a) Children who attend private school.
(b) Genuine emotions.
(c) Women who can work from home.
(d) Scenes of the natural world.

7. According to Rilke, what does Orpheus invigorate?
(a) Writing.
(b) Feeling.
(c) Singing.
(d) Thinking.

8. What is the name of the poem that suggests that even going back to ancient times, there was hustle and bustle?
(a) "To Music."
(b) "Ariel."
(c) "To Holderlin."
(d) "Straining so hard...."

9. In "To Holderlin," which of the following is referenced in the first stanza?
(a) Speed and motion.
(b) Physics and chemistry.
(c) Love and how long it lasts.
(d) Space and stars.

10. In one paragraph in the poem about faces, what has a woman fallen into?
(a) An ocean.
(b) Herself.
(c) A well.
(d) A dark hole.

11. In the second stanza of the first elegy in Book 1, Chapter 7, "A ____ rolled toward you."
(a) Wave.
(b) Wheel.
(c) Springtime.
(d) God.

12. In Rilke's poem, who did the prodigal son feel bound by?
(a) Those who hated him.
(b) Those who disparaged him publicly.
(c) Those who loved him.
(d) Those who respected him.

13. Which of the following is the title of a poem in "Uncollected Poems"?
(a) "For gods do not entice."
(b) "Nothing is so mute."
(c) "Straining so hard against the strength of night."
(d) "We ignore the gods and fill our minds with trash."

14. The "diaphonous girl" appears to be a part of __________.
(a) Rilke's father.
(b) Rilke's best friend who died.
(c) Rilke's lover.
(d) Rilke.

15. According to Rilke, what do poems written in one's youth lack?
(a) Figurative language.
(b) Diction.
(c) Vigor.
(d) Respect.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "To Holderlin", which pair of words describes the two distinct times in life?

2. In Book 1, Chapter 5, what does Rilke intentionally use to describe a short scene from real life?

3. How is "To Music" written?

4. Which of the following best describes the "diaphonous girl"?

5. In the third poem in "Sonnet to Orpheus," who are the three basic characters?

(see the answer keys)

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