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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. Which word best describes Rilke in the second stanza of "I am the Anxious One'?
(a) A complainer.
(b) A dreamer.
(c) A builder.
(d) A lover.

2. What is the origin of the poem that mentions Hermes?
(a) Africa.
(b) Mediterranean Sea.
(c) London.
(d) Indian Ocean.

3. What does the swan symbolize?
(a) Angels.
(b) Family.
(c) Anger.
(d) Fidelity.

4. In which way are the poems in the book presented?
(a) By the location in which they were written.
(b) Chronologically.
(c) By subject.
(d) Alphabetical order.

5. In "Requiem for a Friend," which of the following is left unclear?
(a) The feelings of the narrator for the person who died.
(b) The narrative character's friend's name.
(c) The narrative character's gender.
(d) The narrator's thoughts on traveling.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which of the following people does Rilke paint a picture of through poetry?

2. How does Rilke feel at the beginning of "I am the Anxious One"?

3. In the poem about the abnormal women, which stanza is the longest?

4. According to the poet, what is the main concern of the living?

5. Which animal is described as being able to escape a more powerful animal?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Rilke seem to think about the abnormal women he dedicates a poem to in Book 1, Chapter 3?

2. What is the tone of the poem, "Archaic Torso of Apollo"?

3. What is the significance of the title "Requiem for a Friend"?

4. What is the significance of the diction in "Buddha in Glory"?

5. Describe the differences between the poems in Book 1, Chapter 2 and the poems in Book 1, Chapter 1.

6. Choose one poem from Book 1, Chapter 2 and dissect the meaning.

7. What is the tone of "Requiem for a Friend"?

8. What is the classical theme that Rilke presents in both "Alcestis" and "Archaic Torso of Apollo"?

9. How does Rilke describe death in "Requiem for a Friend"?

10. Why is the first line in the poem about Alcestis significant?

(see the answer keys)

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