3. What happened after Shams disappeared a second time?
(a) He fell off a cliff.
(b) He never came back.
(c) He went to work for another school.
(d) He married and had five children.

4. When speaking of sugar and vinegar, Rumi notes that a spoonful of vinegar:
(a) Cannot compare to the sweetness of a spoonful of sugar.
(b) Is more valuable than a pound of sugar.
(c) Destroys a spoonful of sugar.
(d) Loses its potency in several pounds of sugar.

5. "Cry Out In Your Weakness" is a poem about:
(a) Justice.
(b) Weakness.
(c) Strength.
(d) Punishment.

Short Answer Questions

1. In the end, how does the King regard Ayaz in a poem in Book 1, Chapter 3?

2. Before responding to the king's command in a poem in Book 1, Chapter 3, what does Ayaz do?

3. The poem in Book 1, Chapter 2 about a man who accidentally soils himself includes lessons on which of the following?

4. Rumi indicates that people who have blind faith are following this path through what?

5. Who is Hallaj?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Ayaz learn from his predecessors in order to reach a decision that finds favor with the king?

2. How is Coleman Barks associated with Rumi?

3. Explain the disappearances of Rumi's friend, Shams.

4. Explain how Rumi uses the metaphor of a string when discussing the bonds of friendship in his writings about a frog and a mouse.

5. With regards to beauty, what important connection does Rumi infer when he references a beautiful woman in the poem about a city being invaded by men driven by sexual desire?

6. How does the role of gender come into play in many of Rumi's poems?

7. Explain Rumi's thoughts on love in comparison to jealousy and fear.

8. What does Coleman Barks mean when he indicates that part of his experience of perceiving Rumi's poems is transcendental?

9. What lessons are found within the poem "Cry Out In Your Weakness?"

10. What is the poet's message about friendship in his writings about a frog and a mouse?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 929 words
(approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page)

View a FREE sample