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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. __________ in the presence, at the price of one's life, is a bargain, according to one of the poems of Rumi.

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

3. Rumi uses the metaphor of tilling the soil to plant trees and roses for the way that one breaks up the __________.

4. The robe of the teacher creates _________, according to Rumi, and the teacher also creates new life.

5. __________ is the character Rumi describes as a metalworker, making new shapes out of locks and chains.

Short Essay Questions

1. What are some of the things Rumi says are a part of a friend of all things?

2. What does Rumi tell the reader to do in order to start their own spiritual journey, like Moses or Joseph did?

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

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

5. What does Rumi think that cow might experience when they are in Baghdad?

6. How does Rumi describe the person named David in his writings and poems?

7. What did the poet's teacher teach him to do, according to the writings of Rumi?

8. What does the teacher say about speaking scripture, according to the writings of Rumi?

9. What happened as a result of Zuleikha loving Joseph so much that he became everything to her?

10. What do the Sufis think about love and about its ability to help people, according to the book?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In many cases, Rumi seems to be struggling with his feelings about God and about his life, writing them out in his poems.

Part 1: Do you think it's normal to have problems deciding what you feel about your religion and your faith?

Part 2: Why do you think Rumi continues to struggle with his relationship with God, its meaning, and its importance?

Part 3: Should there come a time when you don't have to struggle with the idea of your faith anymore?

Essay Topic 2

Human beings can change, according to Rumi, which is something the reader needs to keep in mind.

Part 1: Why do you think it's important to remember that human beings can change?

Part 2: Do you think that you are capable of change in your own life?

Part 3: How do you think human beings are capable of change?

Essay Topic 3

Barks points out that repetition can be spiritual, not numbing as many people have come to think of it, in his opinion.

Part 1: Why do you think repeating something again and again can be spiritual?

Part 2: Are there any things you do again and again which you might find spiritual?

Part 3: How do you think the brain changes when it has to repeat the same action again and again?

(see the answer keys)

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