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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Sonnet XXV, what phrase do "rough warehouses" growl at Neruda?

2. In Sonnet XXVIII, what sprouts in Neruda and Matilde's "stable place?"

3. In Sonnet XIX, what is Matilde doing before she returns to "the world full of salt and sun?"

4. In Sonnet XXXI, what two plants does Neruda use to crown Matilde?

5. In Sonnet XXXII, what starts the morning with "its truths scrambled" and that "drifts like a poor little boat?"

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What imagery does Neruda use to compare Matilde to bread in Sonnet XIII?

3. How is Neruda affected by the "bitter love" he experiences in Sonnet III?

4. What is Matilde's role in the "miniature empire" Neruda describes in Sonnet XXXVI?

5. What is Neruda's state of being before he meets Matilde in Sonnet XXV?

6. What does Neruda say about Matilde's hair in Sonnet XIV?

7. What obstacles does Neruda and Matilde's love face in Sonnet XXVIII? Does their love survive?

8. 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?"

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

10. Explain how Matilde acts as a healer and protector in Sonnet XXIII.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Wood is a recurring theme in Neruda's 100 Sonnets. Analyze Neruda's usage of that motif and examine the symbolism and imagery associated with wood. Be sure to support all assertions with examples from the book.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the importance of the forest in Neruda's poems. Topics one may want to consider include the forest's effect on Neruda, its role in developing Neruda and Matilde as characters, and the concepts or moods the forest symbolizes in various poems. Be sure to include specific examples from the text.

Essay Topic 3

Neruda includes images of many opposites in his poems, including heat and cold, order and chaos, love and hate, and innumerable others. Very often, the author compares and contrasts those opposites before incorporating both opposites into one unified concept. Analyze at least three poems that contain opposites, and explain how the author reconciles opposite concepts to create one unified idea. Be sure to use specific examples from the sonnets.

(see the answer keys)

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