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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Toward the end of the passage, what does Venus say Adonis must do in order for her to release his hand?
(a) Kiss her willingly.
(b) Promise not to leave.
(c) Admit that he desires her.
(d) Give back her heart.

2. What is Adonis planning to do when he is accosted by Venus?
(a) Eat lunch.
(b) Nap.
(c) Hunt.
(d) Pick flowers.

3. Who is the author of the poem's epigraph?
(a) Ovid.
(b) Shakespeare.
(c) Henry Wriothesley.
(d) Euripides.

4. What does Venus mean when she says that the stallion stood "like a jade" when he was tied to the tree (line 391)?
(a) He was beautiful but not useful.
(b) He was more valuable before he revealed his rebellious streak.
(c) He was like a broken-down cart horse.
(d) He was as still as a statue.

5. What is Adonis being compared to when the speaker says he is "Like a dive-dapper" (86)?
(a) A fish.
(b) An osprey.
(c) A duck.
(d) A swimmer.

6. Which techniques are used in lines 267-268, "The bearing earth with his hard hoof he wounds/ Whose hollow womb resounds like heaven’s thunder"?
(a) Metaphor and alliteration.
(b) Diacope and onomatopoeia.
(c) Alliteration and diacope.
(d) Onomatopoeia and metaphor.

7. How does Adonis feel after Venus falls unconscious?
(a) Amused.
(b) Guilty.
(c) Skeptical.
(d) Satisfied.

8. To what does the speaker compare Venus finally opening her eyes after her faint?
(a) Lightning.
(b) The sunrise.
(c) A leaf unfurling.
(d) A flower blooming.

9. How does Adonis view romantic love?
(a) He thinks it is frightening and dangerous.
(b) He thinks it should be reserved for marriage.
(c) He thinks it elevates a person spiritually.
(d) He thinks it is chaotic and burdensome,

10. To what does Venus compare her own lips when she says that Adonis's lips are "sweet seals in my soft lips imprinted" (line 511)?
(a) The ocean.
(b) Sand.
(c) Wax.
(d) A stamp.

11. What does Venus tell Adonis is his "duty" (line 168)?
(a) To have sex and beget children.
(b) To enjoy youth while it lasts.
(c) To obey the will of a goddess.
(d) To accept the admiration his great beauty causes.

12. What color is most prominent in the description of Venus kneeling before Adonis and putting her hand on his cheek?
(a) Blue.
(b) Red.
(c) Purple.
(d) White.

13. Which is the best definition of "even" in Venus's question "What hour is this? or morn or weary even" (line 495)?
(a) Evening.
(b) Level.
(c) At the same time.
(d) Equal.

14. What technique is used in line 432, "Ear’s deep sweet music, and heart’s deep sore wounding"?
(a) Juxtaposition.
(b) Antithesis.
(c) Antimetabole.
(d) Oxymoron.

15. What causes Venus to fall to the ground, unconscious?
(a) She has a premonition of the words Adonis is about to speak.
(b) Adonis pushes her roughly away from him.
(c) She is overcome by the heat from the sun.
(d) Adonis tells her that he will never love her or even desire her.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Venus compare Adonis to in line 8?

2. What is the "copse" mentioned in line 259?

3. What is Venus referring to when she tells Adonis that "The tender spring upon thy tempting lip/ Shows thee unripe" (lines 127-128)?

4. Which is the best interpretation of "sick-thoughted Venus" in line 5?

5. What metaphorical comparison is introduced when the horse crushes the bit?

(see the answer keys)

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