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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. Then, according to Rumi, the student felt love and became the __________ cast by the light of the teacher.

2. Rumi stops his list of things which he uses to describe a friend within his poem in order to ______________.

3. Barks asks the reader to be in a state of _______ instead of reading about it, to live the connection about which Rumi speaks.

4. _________ are the wandering Sufis who laugh and love at everything, but they are in turmoil inside.

5. The poet speaks of being locked in a _________ and of someone who brings him good and forgives him.

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens as the result of surrendering to love, according to the writings of Rumi?

2. What does Rumi say that he doesn't regret in his life, according to one of his poems?

3. Why does the poet say that it is not necessary to grieve, according to the writings of Rumi?

4. What does Barks say that openings are a place for, according to his commentary in this section?

5. What are the three ways in which Rumi could write, according to Shams?

6. What happens as the result of the spiritual journey that Shams and Rumi discuss?

7. What does Rumi have to say about the gamble of love and what does he urge the reader to do?

8. Why does the poet ask Shams and the Sun to help him in his poems, according to the writings of Rumi?

9. What is essential in the windows of one heart to another, according to the writings of Rumi?

10. When Shams asks about if the drop stays still in the ocean, what does he tell Rumi to do?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The story of Shams and Rumi is one which plays out from one page to the next in this book, a story of friendship and the sharing of knowledge.

Part 1: Why do you think Shams and Rumi got along as well as they did?

Part 2: Why do you think Rumi still felt the need to be competitive with Shams?

Part 3: Do you think all relationships are competitive on some level? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Rumi continues to use metaphors in the poems, helping to show the reader how they are akin to other beings and plants in the world.

Part 1: Why do you think poets rely on metaphors to help them with their messages?

Part 2: Do you think it's better to use metaphors or to speak directly to a reader?

Part 3: How do you think the metaphors affect a reader? How did the metaphors affect you as you read them?

Essay Topic 3

Within many of the poems that Rumi writes are references to biblical figures, even though Rumi is considered to be another religion besides Christian.

Part 1: Why do you think Rumi resonates with the stories of the biblical figures?

Part 2: Does it seem to be cultural appropriation to use the biblical stories in Rumi's poems?

Part 3: How do you think stories can impact us, even if they're not 'our' stories?

(see the answer keys)

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