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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Islam originated with:
(a) Mohammad.
(b) Jesus.
(c) Buddha.
(d) Isaac.

2. Rumi is considered a master at creating what?
(a) Unity.
(b) Humor.
(c) Discord.
(d) Revolution.

3. In Book 2, Chapter 3, through his loyalty, Ayaz goes above and beyond what:
(a) The priest requires.
(b) The king requires.
(c) He wants.
(d) His wife wants.

4. Through many of his poems, Rumi communicates that a person can never really know how another:
(a) Makes a living.
(b) Feels.
(c) Cries.
(d) Envisions the future.

5. In each of the love triangles presented in Chapter 2, Book 2, the woman's behavior:
(a) Remains the same throughout all the stories.
(b) Is difficult to translate.
(c) Changes with each story.
(d) Saves the day.

6. In one poem in Book 2, Chapter 1, Rumi states that every sheik rides a lion, whether that lion is:
(a) Visible or invisible.
(b) Young or old.
(c) Great or small.
(d) Male or female.

7. In the section called "Solomon Poems," Rumi's poetry makes direct references to:
(a) Hinduism and Christianity.
(b) Islam and Christianity.
(c) Buddhism and Islam.
(d) Judaism and Buddhism.

8. What kind of leader is Rumi for his people?
(a) Religious only.
(b) Judicial and political.
(c) Religious and political.
(d) Judicial only.

9. In the folklore, Coleman Barks presents to introduce the poems of Chapter 2, Book 2, he writes about three men who teach others by:
(a) Swimming with sharks.
(b) Running through fields of sharp rocks.
(c) Living in a cave.
(d) Laughing in the marketplace.

10. In one poem in Book 2, Chapter 1, Rumi uses the image of Jesus Christ riding atop a donkey to explain a lesson about what?
(a) The lack of pretense when one is self-confident.
(b) The rational mind and the animalistic nature of mankind.
(c) The master becoming the servant.
(d) The divine living in the human world.

11. The people who are jealous of a particular man in a poem in Book 2, Chapter 3, do not think they are better than him; rather, they are displeased with:
(a) The fact that he has twelve wives.
(b) The high esteem he enjoys.
(c) The way the teacher favors him.
(d) The way he ridicules them.

12. According to Rumi, having people freely cooperate works better than what?
(a) Forcing them.
(b) Making animals do the work.
(c) Praying for a different outcome.
(d) Paying them.

13. What is the greater message of Rumi's musings about candles in Chapter 3 of Book 2?
(a) The light of a candle is nothing compared to the radiance of the heart.
(b) One will not need a guide upon arriving at the destination of the inner world.
(c) Everything that is positive has a negative side.
(d) Sometimes we will need to find our way through the dark.

14. Rumi blends images from Christianity and Islam to:
(a) Create his own stories.
(b) Enforce religion upon his students.
(c) Point out the absurdity of religion.
(d) Try to reconcile all people in his village.

15. In "Town and Country," how does the town man usually reply to his country friend's invitation to visit him in the country?
(a) No.
(b) Tomorrow.
(c) Next year.
(d) Never.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which of the three brothers in Chapter 2, Book 2 ends up marrying the Chinese princess in the end?

2. At the start of the group of poems in Book 2, Chapter 2, Coleman Barks gives an introduction that includes folklore from what religious tradition?

3. In one of the poems in Chapter 2, Book 2, the girl that a king falls in love with becomes ill, which concerns him greatly. What does he do?

4. After the girl whom the king loves gets better in one of the poems in Chapter 2, Book 2, what does the doctor do?

5. In a poem in Chapter 2, Book 2, how does the sick girl who has an "emotional thorn" and who is loved by a king get better?

(see the answer keys)

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