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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 type of fears are addressed in the poem "Fears"?
(a) Childhood.
(b) Adult.
(c) Fake.
(d) Religious.

2. The poems in Book 1, Chapter 7 are listed as being written during ____________.
(a) 1910 and 1922.
(b) 1912 and 1922.
(c) 1911 and 1915.
(d) 1900 and 1908.

3. In Rilke's description of supplication, from whom does the man expect to receive assistance?
(a) An ancient Greek god.
(b) A mysterious woman.
(c) An angry god.
(d) Sent angels.

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

5. Which of the following is lacking in Rilke's elegies?
(a) Diction.
(b) Figurative language.
(c) Structure.
(d) Rhyme.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is markedly distinct about "To Music"?

2. In "Ariel" which stanza is the longest?

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

4. What is the name of the poem following "Ibsen"?

5. What is the tone of the first poem in "Sonnets to Orpheus"?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. Describe "To Holderlin."

4. What is the distinction between a poem and an elegy?

5. Describe "To Music."

6. How did the editors connect praise and grief when putting together Rilke's sonnets?

7. What does Rilke mean by "Every angel is terrifying"?

8. What is "The Bird Feeders" about?

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

10. Why do you think that only some poems have titles?

(see the answer keys)

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