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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 is the tone of "Requiem for a Friend"?
(a) Fear.
(b) Joy.
(c) Excitement.
(d) Pondering.

2. Which of the following would be an analogy used in Rilke's poetry for the way religion has changed?
(a) Changing one's appearance instead of accepting it.
(b) Owning animals instead of worshipping them.
(c) Getting an education when simpler people are happier.
(d) Laying out in the sun as opposed to worshipping it.

3. Which of the following is evident in Rilke's poems?
(a) Pure research.
(b) Faith combined with imagination.
(c) Imagination combined with knowledge.
(d) Knowledge combined with contempt.

4. Which word is associated with the women described in Rilke's poem about the Greek women?
(a) Bed-ridden.
(b) Homosexual.
(c) Unmarried.
(d) Unsuccessful.

5. What is the title of Book 1, Chapter 2?
(a) "New Poems."
(b) "Old Poems."
(c) "Ancient Women."
(d) "These Animals."

Short Answer Questions

1. Which of the following is the name of one of Rilke's poems?

2. Who answered questions on Apollo's behalf?

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

4. How did the women described in Rilke's poem about the ancient women dress?

5. Whom does the poet ask, "Tell me, must I travel?"

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the consequences of translating German to English?

2. What is the significance of the women standing in their doorways in "Requiem for a Friend"?

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

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

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

6. What does the narrator of "Requiem for a Friend" admire about Paula?

7. How does the author show genuine emotion in poetry, especially in Book 1, Chapter 5?

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

9. Why is it important to know background information about Rainer Marie Rilke before reading the poems?

10. What is the significance of the name Creon as it is used in "Alcestis"?

(see the answer keys)

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