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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is Reynold Nicholson?

2. One of the key attributes of the character Ayaz is what?

3. Whether writing about friendship, love, or God, a common theme covered by Rumi is:

4. According to Rumi, how should one treat his or her baser nature?

5. Who is Hallaj?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Husam Chelebi's role as scribe.

2. How would you describe Rumi's writing style?

3. Who were Rumi's three best friends, and how did he regard each?

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

5. Summarize the poet's message about the importance of balance with respect to the "animal soul."

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

7. Summarize Rumi's early life.

8. Use the "me and you" example in this section to address Rumi's thoughts on identity.

9. Briefly explain Rumi's metaphor of sugar and vinegar.

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Summarize the story about three fish with varying intelligence levels. What conclusions does Rumi reach at the end of this story? How has each fish benefited in his own way?

Essay Topic 2

What important lessons come through in the poem "Town and Country"? Describe the friendship between the two friends in this story. When the tables are turned and the shopkeeper gets to walk in the countryside man's shoes, how are his eyes opened? What does he finally see, after so many years, about the suffering his friend experienced when he first arrived in town?

Essay Topic 3

What do Coleman Barks' prefaces add to the interpretation of Rumi's works? Explain how Barks facilitates understanding of the poet's writings. Use specific examples from the book.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 823 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample