Purpose & Appeals (ELA.9.R.2.3)
Rilke asks, "Must I write?". This rhetorical question is intended to:
A) Get the young man to write a letter back answering "yes."
B) Prompt the poet to engage in deep, solitary self-reflection.
C) Check if the poet has enough ink and paper.
D) Show that Rilke doesn't know the answer himself.
B) Prompt the poet to engage in deep, solitary self-reflection.
Rilke claims that "Nobody can counsel and help you, nobody". What is the primary basis for this valid argument?
A) Other people are mean and want you to fail.
B) Artistic truth can only be found by searching one's own inner self.
C) Rilke is too busy to help the young man.
D) The young man’s poems are already perfect.
B) Artistic truth can only be found by searching one's own inner self.
Rilke asks the question: "Must I write?". This rhetorical question is intended to:
A) Get the young man to write a letter back answering "yes."
B) Prompt the poet to engage in deep, solitary self-reflection.
C) Check if the poet has enough ink and paper.
D) Show that Rilke doesn't know the answer himself.
B) Prompt the poet to engage in deep, solitary self-reflection.
The word "necessity" (from paragraph 3) comes from the Latin necessitas. Based on Rilke’s context, what does it mean?
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A) Something that is optional.
B) Something that is unavoidable or absolutely required.
C) A gift given by a friend.
D) A type of ancient poetry.
B) Something that is unavoidable or absolutely required.
Rilke tells the poet to "Search for the reason that bids you write". In this context, "reason" most likely means:
A) A logical math problem.
B) An excuse to avoid work.
C) The underlying motivation or "urge".
D) An argument with a friend.
C) The underlying motivation or "urge".
Rilke uses antithesis (contrasting ideas) when he tells the poet to describe his "sorrows and desires" and "passing thoughts". This device helps the reader understand:
A) That the poet should be confused and indecisive.
B) That every aspect of the human experience, both high and low is material for art.
C) That sorrows are more important than desires.
D) That poets should only write when they are sad.
C) That sorrows are more important than desires.
Rilke argues that the young poet should stop sending his work to magazines. Which statement evaluates the effectiveness of this claim?
A) It is ineffective because magazines pay money to writers.
B) It is effective because it shifts the poet’s focus from external validation to internal necessity.
C) It is ineffective because it discourages the poet from getting a job.
D) It is effective because magazines are too small to fit good poems.
B) It is effective because it shifts the poet’s focus from external validation to internal necessity
Rilke uses antithesis (contrasting ideas) when he tells the poet to describe his "sorrows and desires". This device helps the reader understand:
A) That the poet should be confused and indecisive.
B) That every aspect of the human experience both high and low is material for art.
C) That sorrows are more important than desires.
D) That poets should only write when they are sad.
B) That every aspect of the human experience both high and low is material for art.
Rilke uses the word "inexpressible" to describe events. Breaking down the word (Prefix in- + Root express + Suffix -ible), it means:
A) To say something very quickly.
B) Able to be shown clearly.
C) Not capable of being put into words.
D) A fast way to send a letter.
C) Not capable of being put into words.
Rilke describes the poet's current verses as having no "individual style". The connotation of "individual" here is:
A) Being lonely and sad.
B) Being unique and original to the person.
C) Being written by only one person.
D) Being small and unimportant.
B) Being unique and original to the person.
Rilke refers to childhood as a "kingly possession" and a "treasure-house". This metaphor serves to:
A) Elevate the value of personal experience over material wealth.
B) Suggest that only rich people can be poets.
C) Explain that the poet should write about kings and queens.
D) Remind the poet that he should save his money.
Rilke refers to childhood as a "kingly possession" and a "treasure-house". This metaphor serves to:
A) Elevate the value of personal experience over material wealth.
B) Suggest that only rich people can be poets.
C) Explain that the poet should write about kings and queens.
D) Remind the poet that he should save his money.
Rilke compares "looking outward" with following an inner "necessity". Which does he argue is more valid for an artist?
A) Looking outward, because an artist needs to know what the public likes.
B) Necessity, because a work of art is only "good" if it springs from an inner urge.
C) Both are equally valid depending on the day.
D) Neither, as Rilke believes one should only follow the advice of critics.
B) Necessity, because a work of art is only "good" if it springs from an inner urge.
Rilke refers to childhood as a "kingly possession" and a "treasure-house". This metaphor serves to:
A) Elevate the value of personal experience over material wealth.
B) Suggest that only rich people can be poets.
C) Explain that the poet should write about kings and queens.
D) Remind the poet that he should save his money.
A) Elevate the value of personal experience over material wealth.
Rilke mentions life's "indifferent" hours. Given the prefix in- (not) and the root differ, Rilke means these things:
A) Are very unusual and special.
B) Seem ordinary or lack any special importance.
C) Are different from everything else.
D) Are very difficult to find.
B) Seem ordinary or lack any special importance.
Use context clues from paragraph 3 to determine the meaning of "thither" in the sentence "Turn your attention thither".
A) Toward the future.
B) Toward that place (specifically the "treasure-house of memories").
C) Toward the magazines.
D) Away from the prison.
B) Toward that place (specifically the "treasure-house of memories")
There is a subtle irony in Rilke giving a long letter of advice while simultaneously claiming that:
A) He doesn't like writing letters.
B) "Nobody can counsel and help you, nobody".
C) He is returning the poems to the author.
D) He is a stranger to the young man.
B) "Nobody can counsel and help you, nobody".
Rilke claims that even if the poet is in a "prison," he still has the "treasure-house" of his memories. How does this strengthen his argument about the poet's "poverty"?
A) It proves that poets should go to jail to write better.
B) It validates the claim that a "poor" environment is actually rich if the poet uses their inner world.
C) It suggests that childhood is a time of being trapped.
D) It shows that Rilke does not understand what a real prison is like.
B) It validates the claim that a "poor" environment is actually rich if the poet uses their inner world.
There is a subtle irony in Rilke giving a long letter of advice while simultaneously claiming that:
A) He doesn't like writing letters.
B) "Nobody can counsel and help you, nobody".
C) He is returning the poems to the author.
D) He is a stranger to the young man.
B) "Nobody can counsel and help you, nobody".
Rilke mentions "veneration" for Professor Horacek. This word comes from the Latin venerari (to worship/revere). In the letter, it shows Rilke’s:
A) Fear of his old teacher.
B) Boredom with academic subjects.
C) Deep respect and honor for the man.
D) Desire to take a class with him.
C) Deep respect and honor for the man.
Rilke refers to the poet Leopardi as a "great solitary man". Based on the surrounding text about "inner solitude," the connotative meaning is
A) Being a loser with no friends.
B) Being a person who finds strength in being alone with their thoughts.
C) Being someone who is lost in the woods.
D) Being a person who refuses to talk to anyone.
B) Being a person who finds strength in being alone with their thoughts.
Rilke uses the phrase "a dusky dwelling past which the noise of others goes by far away". This imagery reinforces his theme of:
A) The need for better soundproofing in houses.
B) The fear of being forgotten by society.
C) The protective and peaceful nature of inner solitude.
D) The importance of living in a quiet neighborhood.
C) The protective and peaceful nature of inner solitude.
Rilke concludes that if the poet's "inward searching" reveals he is not a poet, the process was still not in vain. This argument is sound because:
A) It makes the poet feel better about failing.
B) The self-discovery leads to a "good, rich and wide" way of living, regardless of profession.
C) The poet can still sell his childhood memories for money.
D) It proves that Rilke was right and the student was wrong.
B) The self-discovery leads to a "good, rich and wide" way of living, regardless of profession.
Rilke uses the phrase "a dusky dwelling past which the noise of others goes by far away". This imagery reinforces his theme of:
A) The need for better soundproofing in houses.
B) The fear of being forgotten by society.
C) The protective and peaceful nature of inner solitude.
D) The importance of living in a quiet neighborhood
C) The protective and peaceful nature of inner solitude.
The word "prefatory" (as in "prefatory remarks") contains the prefix pre-. This tells the reader that these remarks:
A) Are the most important part of the letter.
B) Come before the main body of the advice.
C) Are written in a different language.
D) Will be repeated at the end of the letter.
B) Come before the main body of the advice.
Rilke says "all critical intention is too far from me". Using context clues from paragraph 1, "critical" most nearly means:
A) Being in a life-threatening medical state.
B) Being very important or essential.
C) Related to the evaluation or judgment of a work.
D) Finding fault in a mean-spirited way.
C) Related to the evaluation or judgment of a work.