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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does the smartest of three fish do in the fish tale in Book 2, Chapter 1?
(a) Blows bubbles.
(b) Eats a bug.
(c) Sleeps.
(d) Leaves.

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

3. In addition to educating his listeners and readers, Rumi strives to:
(a) Confuse.
(b) Surprise.
(c) Admonish.
(d) Entertain.

4. In Book 2, Chapter 3, Ayaz is able to follow orders, but is also able to go beyond being just:
(a) A devoted husband.
(b) A crafty spy.
(c) A naive cook.
(d) A simple follower.

5. Through many of his poems, Rumi reveals the depth and diversity of different types of:
(a) Love.
(b) Obsession.
(c) Anguish.
(d) Treason.

6. 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?
(a) She is healed by a questionable sorcerer.
(b) She is accepted by the man she loves.
(c) She is cured by costly medicines.
(d) She is happy to be reunited with her family.

7. What invitation does the countryside man extend to his town friend in "Town and Country"?
(a) Move permanently to the country.
(b) Come meet his children.
(c) Take a vacation in the country.
(d) Come ride his horses.

8. In one of the love stories of Chapter 2, Book 2, what happens when three sons meet a powerful Chinese princess?
(a) They fall in love with her.
(b) They fall into the river.
(c) They become her prisoners.
(d) They become her husbands.

9. The first poem in Book 2, Chapter 3 is about the story of:
(a) Genesis.
(b) Noah's Ark.
(c) The Commandments.
(d) The Resurrection.

10. Chapter 2 of Book 2 includes a large quantity of:
(a) Love stories.
(b) Ghost tales.
(c) War stories.
(d) Animal fables.

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

12. In one of Rumi's stories in Book 2, Chapter 1, a man is healed by what?
(a) Blind faith.
(b) Willpower and herbs.
(c) Rough and thorough discipline.
(d) Gentle, caring hands.

13. To Rumi, political governance is not so much about military maneuvers but more about what?
(a) Acquiring wealth and status.
(b) Creating balance and harmony.
(c) Looking like you know what you're doing.
(d) Treating people like little children.

14. During his lifetime, Rumi was revered for his attitude of religious tolerance and:
(a) Quirkiness.
(b) Humor.
(c) Brutal honesty.
(d) Openness.

15. When King Solomon woos a queen in Book 2, Chapter 1, he asks that she do what?
(a) Leave her children behind.
(b) Prove her love for him.
(c) Learn how to cook.
(d) Give up her worldly possessions.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the greater message of Rumi's musings about candles in Chapter 3 of Book 2?

2. Along with the gift that the prisoner receives in one of the poems in Chapter 2, Book 2, what unexpected useful addition does he get?

3. In the final story of Ayaz and the king, found in Book 2, Chapter 3, what do courtiers bring back to the king?

4. In the folklore, Coleman Barks presents to introduce the poems of Chapter 2, Book 2, he writes about three men who teach others by:

5. In the poem in Book 2, Chapter 3 where a group is terribly jealous of a particular man, who is this man?

(see the answer keys)

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