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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In lines 79-84, what bargain does Venus try to strike with Adonis?
(a) She will let him explain his feelings if he speaks nicely to her.
(b) She will not tell anyone about it if he will have sex with her.
(c) She will get off of him if he gives her one voluntary kiss.
(d) She will ask the gods to make him immortal if he will be her partner.

2. How does Adonis react to Venus's comparison of herself to a park?
(a) With laughter.
(b) With compassion.
(c) With desire.
(d) With contempt.

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

4. According to the speaker, what is the one thing that the horse lacks?
(a) Independence.
(b) A proud rider.
(c) Rich trappings.
(d) Humility.

5. When Venus and Adonis are on the ground kissing in lines 547-558, what is Venus being compared to?
(a) A soldier on the field of battle.
(b) A destructive storm at sea.
(c) A greedy child at the table.
(d) A predatory wild animal.

6. What does Adonis accuse Venus of in line 53?
(a) Impulsiveness.
(b) Immodesty.
(c) Callousness.
(d) Violence.

7. To whom is the poem dedicated?
(a) Anne Hathaway.
(b) Elizabeth I.
(c) James I.
(d) The Earl of Southampton.

8. What technique is used in line 111, "Strong-temper’d steel his stronger strength obey’d"?
(a) Epizeuxis.
(b) Epimone.
(c) Anaphora.
(d) Polyptoton.

9. What does Venus call "heavenly moisture" in line 64?
(a) The dew on the flowers.
(b) Her own kisses.
(c) Adonis's breath.
(d) Adonis's tears.

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

11. Which is the best definition for "Fondling" as used in line 229?
(a) Savior.
(b) Stubborn one.
(c) Lost one.
(d) Beloved.

12. Which of the poem's motifs is most clearly illustrated by line 41, "Backward she push’d him, as she would be thrust"?
(a) The reversal of expected gender roles.
(b) The contrast between passion and virtue.
(c) Adonis's unnatural lack of desire.
(d) The difference between lust and love.

13. Which is the best definition of "bootless" in the context of line 422?
(a) Informal, casual.
(b) Useless, pointless.
(c) Irresponsible, careless.
(d) Unmannerly, rude.

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

15. 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.

Short Answer Questions

1. What colors are most prominent in the first 36 stanzas of the poem?

2. When Venus asks Adonis "Is thine own heart to thine own face affected?" whose story is she alluding to (157)?

3. What "circuit" is Venus referring to when she tells Adonis "I have hemm’d thee here/ Within the circuit of this ivory pale" (lines 229-230)?

4. What event causes the speaker to say that "The night of sorrow now is turn’d to day" (line 481)?

5. Who or what is being described when the word "fetlocks" is used in line 295?

(see the answer keys)

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