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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. 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) Sand.
(b) The ocean.
(c) A stamp.
(d) Wax.

2. What does Venus compare Adonis to in line 8?
(a) A stallion.
(b) A stag.
(c) The sun.
(d) A flower.

3. What metaphorical comparison is introduced when the horse crushes the bit?
(a) The horse is compared to an escaped slave.
(b) The bit is compared to logic and reason.
(c) The bit is compared to an unjust law.
(d) The horse is compared to an unruly child.

4. What technique is used in lines 19 and 20, "not cloy thy lips with loath’d satiety,/ But rather famish them amid their plenty"?
(a) Inversion.
(b) Paradox.
(c) Polysyndeton.
(d) Malapropism.

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

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 does Adonis mean when he tells Venus that she can stop her tears and flattery, because in his heart, "they make no batt’ry" (line 426).

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

4. Which is the best definition of "even" in Venus's question "What hour is this? or morn or weary even" (line 495)?

5. How does Adonis feel after Venus falls unconscious?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Venus tell Adonis will "buy" her heart (line 514), and how does she propose that he "seal" the bargain (line 516)?

2. Explain the epic simile about an eagle in lines 55-60.

3. As Adonis vacillates "’Twixt crimson shame and anger ashy pale" (line 76), what is the speaker saying Venus feels in lines 77 and 78, "Being red she loves him best, and being white, / Her best is better’d with a more delight"?

4. In lines 131 and 132, what does Venus mean when she tells Adonis that "Fair flowers that are not gather’d in their prime/ Rot, and consume themselves in little time"?

5. Explain the comparison made between Adonis's mouth and a "red morn" (line 453).

6. What does Venus tell Adonis he can learn from his horse?

7. Why does the speaker compare Venus's eyes to "the moon in water seen by night" (line 492)?

8. What is Venus's purpose in talking about her relationship with the god of war?

9. What does Venus tell Adonis would happen if their positions were reversed?

10. How does the mare react to the stallion at first, and how does her reaction change?

(see the answer keys)

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