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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Rilke say is wrong with men?
(a) Men are too focused on the physical.
(b) Men oppress women.
(c) Men are too dominant.
(d) Men undervalue what they love.

2. At the close of letter seven, what love does Rilke tell the young poet to remember?
(a) The love of his parents.
(b) The love of Rilke.
(c) The love of his first experience of solitude.
(d) The love of nature.

3. Rilke says that eventually women no longer are the opposite of men, but something else. What are they?
(a) The teachers of men.
(b) The inferiors of men.
(c) The superiors of men.
(d) Feminine beings whole in themselves.

4. Who resists the future change in women that Rilke notes in letter seven?
(a) Militaries.
(b) Men.
(c) The Church.
(d) Philosophers.

5. Why has it taken so long for Rilke to reply to the young poet with his seventh letter?
(a) Rilke had left the letter in a different city.
(b) Rilke had been ill.
(c) Rilke had been traveling.
(d) Rilke had forgotten about the letter.

6. What does Rilke claim a sadness indicates about a person's life or self?
(a) A transition.
(b) A fear.
(c) A realization.
(d) A loss.

7. What does the poem enclosed in the seventh letter express a longing for?
(a) Faith.
(b) Love.
(c) Creative talent.
(d) Trust.

8. How long has Rilke been in the city from which he writes the fifth letter?
(a) Two months.
(b) Six weeks.
(c) Six days.
(d) Two weeks.

9. What does Rilke say is "the most difficult of all our tasks"?
(a) To know God.
(b) To love another person.
(c) To uncover the true self.
(d) To truly embrace solitude.

10. In what manner does Rilke say one must be when one is sad?
(a) Angry and vocal.
(b) Lonely and attentive.
(c) Solitary and depressed.
(d) Dutiful and silent.

11. What does Rilke advise the young poet to do if he cannot connect with people?
(a) Develop his sense of empathy.
(b) Read more books.
(c) Identify with nature, animals, and children.
(d) Learn an instrument.

12. What does Rilke say is "the only courage demanded of us"?
(a) The courage o be solitary.
(b) The courage to create.
(c) The courage to love.
(d) The courage to be prepared for the unknown or unexpected.

13. At the close of the sixth letter, how does Rilke tell the young poet to be?
(a) "Be one with nature."
(b) "Be glad and confident."
(c) "Be joyful in art."
(d) "Be happy in solitude."

14. At the close of letter eight, what does Rilke tell the poet about people who give him advice?
(a) The young poet should avoid people who give him advice.
(b) People who give the young poet advice should look to their own troubles.
(c) People who give the young poet advice have had troubled times in their lives, as well.
(d) The young poet should be skeptical of people who give him advice.

15. What does Rilke say about careers in the sixth letter?
(a) They help to discipline the individual.
(b) They distance the individual from his or her true self.
(c) They show individuals their true selves.
(d) They provide inspiration for poetry.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Rilke tell the young poet to ask himself regarding his religious beliefs?

2. What does the sixth letter reveal about the state of the young poet?

3. How does Rilke say individuals can help prepare for God's coming?

4. What aspect of human life does Rilke say is most burdened with conventions?

5. How does Rilke note that the future change in the role of women affects love?

(see the answer keys)

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