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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. To whom is Venus referring when she brags about being courted by the god of war?
(a) Jupiter.
(b) Mars.
(c) Apollo.
(d) Mercury.

2. What is the "copse" mentioned in line 259?
(a) A stand of trees.
(b) A small barn.
(c) A valley.
(d) A fenced area.

3. Which is the best interpretation of line 600, in which Venus is said "To clip Elysium and to lack her joy"?
(a) She is aware that she has dishonored her own status as a goddess and regrets her actions.
(b) She is unable to be truly happy about a conquest brought about through deception.
(c) She has come very close to paradise without being allowed to fully enjoy it.
(d) She has taken a big risk and it has not paid off for her.

4. What techniques are used in lines 25 and 26, "With this she seizeth on his sweating palm,/ The precedent of pith and livelihood"?
(a) Assonance and onomatopoeia.
(b) Onomatopoeia and metonymy.
(c) Metonymy and alliteration.
(d) Alliteration and assonance.

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

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

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

8. What motif recurs throughout the description of the horse's courage and desire?
(a) Water.
(b) Heat.
(c) Justice.
(d) Flight.

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

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

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

12. What technique is used in line 75, "Still is he sullen, still he lours and frets"?
(a) Parallelism.
(b) Synecdoche.
(c) Personification.
(d) Anaphora.

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

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

15. When Venus shakes her head and then Adonis's hand, looks at him and then at the ground, what is it most reasonable to infer about her motivation?
(a) She is attempting to distract Adonis from her real intentions.
(b) She is too distraught to know how to proceed.
(c) She is too shy to explain to Adonis exactly what she wants from him.
(d) She is having second thoughts about her confession of love.

Short Answer Questions

1. Toward the end of the passage, what does Venus say Adonis must do in order for her to release his hand?

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

3. 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"?

4. Which is the most reasonable interpretation of Venus's characterization of Adonis as having a "mermaid's voice" (line 429)?

5. What causes Venus to fall to the ground, unconscious?

(see the answer keys)

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