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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. In which poem is there an allusion to "The Tempest"?
(a) "To Holderlin."
(b) "To Music."
(c) "Ariel."
(d) "Straining So Hard..."

2. What is the poem about faces called?
(a) "Faceless."
(b) "Faces."
(c) "The Bird Feeders."
(d) "Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge."

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

4. What is the name of the poem following "Ibsen"?
(a) "The Fear of a Saint."
(b) "The Temptations of a Saint."
(c) "The Fate of a Saint."
(d) "The Sacraments of a Saint."

5. In poems I-8 and I-25, which themes are united?
(a) Happiness and sadness.
(b) Anger and hunger.
(c) Praise and grief.
(d) Fright and content.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Rilke's poem, what do bird feeders represent?

2. When Orpheus is called in one of the sonnets, who gathers to listen in silence?

3. Who is the poem "Ariel" named after?

4. In the poem in which the narrator is lying in bed, how many flights above ground is he or she?

5. In the poem where the narrator is lying in bed, which item describes the narrator's day?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the subject of the poem "Ariel."

2. How does Rilke create a dramatic tone in his sonnets?

3. What does Rilke mean when he refers to "pampered favorites"?

4. How does Rilke give in to tradition while writing, as exemplified in his elegies?

5. Who does the invisible 'you' reference in the first poem in "Sonnets to Orpheus"?

6. What allusions does Rilke use in his poems, especially in the poem "Ariel"?

7. Describe Orpheus as Rilke describes him in his sonnets.

8. What is "Faces" about?

9. What is the difference between a poem and prose?

10. What is "The Prodigal Son" about?

(see the answer keys)

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