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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Book 1, The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke : Chapter 8, Sonnets to Orpheus.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of the following is the title of a poem in "Uncollected Poems"?
(a) "Nothing is so mute."
(b) "We ignore the gods and fill our minds with trash."
(c) "For gods do not entice."
(d) "Straining so hard against the strength of night."

2. In one paragraph in the poem about faces, what has a woman fallen into?
(a) An ocean.
(b) A well.
(c) Herself.
(d) A dark hole.

3. In which instrument does Rilke believe Orpheus is perceivable?
(a) Tamborine.
(b) Lyre.
(c) Guitar.
(d) Harmonica.

4. Which adjective best describes both of the poems about the human condition in Book 1, Chapter 2?
(a) Meaningless.
(b) Complex.
(c) Unintentional.
(d) Short.

5. In "To Holderlin", which pair of words describes the two distinct times in life?
(a) Gratitude and shame.
(b) Fame and fortune.
(c) Anger and happiness.
(d) Joy and trial.

Short Answer Questions

1. What topic does the first elegy introduce?

2. In Book 1, Chapter 5, what does Rilke intentionally use to describe a short scene from real life?

3. According to Rilke, what does Orpheus invigorate?

4. What is the origin of the poem that mentions Hermes?

5. Who annexed Rilke's part of Czech Bohemia with World War I?

(see the answer key)

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