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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is Rilke describing with the following line: "Praising is what matters! He was summoned for that"?

2. In I-25, how does Rilke refer to a female character?

3. How many poems are in Book 1, Chapter 6?

4. In the elegy, Rilke wonders if an angel will hear _______.

5. According to Rilke, what do poems written in one's youth lack?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the elegy about angels.

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

3. What is "The Bird Feeders" about?

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

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

6. Describe "To Holderlin."

7. What is the message behind "For the Sake of a Single Poem"?

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

9. What is "The Prodigal Son" about?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the message of "For the Sake of a Single Poem"? What literary devices are used in the poem, and what effect do they have?

Essay Topic 2

What is an elegy? Why do poets write elegies? What are the most common themes and subjects of Rilke's elegies? Why do you think this is so?

Essay Topic 3

What emotive language does Rilke use? What are other examples of emotive language that you might find in daily life? What is Rilke's most emotive poem? Why?

(see the answer keys)

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