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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. In Sonnet XXII, what image does Neruda NOT use to describe Matilde?
(a) A star.
(b) A wildfire.
(c) A queen.
(d) A guitar.

2. In Sonnet XLI, what month does Neruda associate with "rough times?"
(a) August.
(b) January.
(c) April.
(d) September.

3. Why does Neruda state that he does not love Matilde in Sonnet XLIV?
(a) Because he can not grasp her beauty.
(b) So he can love her more in the future.
(c) Because she is too complex to love fully.
(d) So she can remain an individual.

4. In Sonnet X ,what word does Neruda use to describe Matilde's beauty?
(a) Warm.
(b) Smooth.
(c) Quiet.
(d) Soft.

5. In Sonnet XXVII, Neruda says that Matilde is "as blue as the night" of what country?
(a) Cuba.
(b) Colombia.
(c) Guatemala.
(d) Peru.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Sonnet L, what aspect of Matilde does Neruda say "drops like a hawk from a stony tower?"

2. In Sonnet XLIX, what does Neruda NOT say that he sings to?

3. In Sonnet XXX, Neruda says that Matilde has hair as thick as what kind of tree?

4. In Sonnet VI, Neruda is lost in a forest and breaks off a twig, hoping for some moisture to ease his thirst. What effect does the twig's scent have on him?

5. In Sonnet IX, Neruda contrasts the love between himself and Matilde with what natural formation?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Neruda looking for when he studies other women in Sonnet XLIII?

2. Neruda says that "everything alive has its two sides," including love. In Sonnet XLIV, what are the two sides of Neruda's love for Matilde? Why are both sides important?

3. In Sonnet XXXIII, where are Matilde and Neruda before they return "across the crackling sea?" Why do they return home?

4. In Sonnet I, how does Neruda describe Matilde's name?

5. What are some aspects of Matilde's ugliness and beauty does Neruda list in Sonnet XX?

6. What imagery does Neruda use to describe Matilde as he watches her walk by the sea in Sonnet X?

7. What is Neruda looking at in Sonnet XXIV that inspires his phrase, "...so many blues -- heavenly blues, sunken blues --/ our eyes are a little confused?"

8. Why does Neruda's description of Matilde's laugh contrast so strongly with her physical appearance in Sonnet L?

9. What brings night and day to Neruda in Sonnet XXXV?

10. What gives Neruda and Matilde the "eternal life of the Natural" in Sonnet XLVIII?

(see the answer keys)

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