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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In the book, Coleman Barks is the author of what?
(a) Chapter Three.
(b) Conclusion.
(c) Appendix.
(d) Introduction.

2. In the poem "Meadowsounds," Rumi devotes two lines to:
(a) Husam.
(b) Hallej.
(c) Ayaz.
(d) Shams.

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

4. As the bond of friendship that Rumi writes about between a frog and its animal friend grows, the two animals find that their wish for each other's company:
(a) Is laughed at by others.
(b) Turns into a need.
(c) Is discouraged by their own kind.
(d) Diminishes over time.

5. In a poem in Book 1, Chapter 3 involving a complicated love triangle consisting of a man and two women, Rumi explores what subjects?
(a) Reconciliation, division, and uncertainty.
(b) Humor and tragedy.
(c) Lust and disgust.
(d) Love, jealousy, and fear.

6. Why did Rumi's family flee the place of his birth?
(a) The land was attacked by Turks.
(b) The land was struck by drought.
(c) They feared a Mongol invasion.
(d) They feared the ruler of the region.

7. Many of Rumi's poems reveal that life is not two-dimensional; on the contrary, it is very:
(a) Complex.
(b) Unfair.
(c) Flat.
(d) Boring.

8. When was the New Expanded Edition of this book published?
(a) 2000.
(b) 1965.
(c) 1980.
(d) 1995.

9. In the poems about an unlikely friendship between two different animals, one of them being a frog, these two animals have very different what?
(a) Environmental needs.
(b) Life spans.
(c) Sizes.
(d) Names.

10. How many years did it take Coleman Barks to truly comprehend Shams Tabriz through Rumi's poetry?
(a) 15.
(b) 37.
(c) 28.
(d) 6.

11. How did Rumi's father teach him?
(a) Through hands-on, real-life experiences.
(b) By example.
(c) By leaving him many notes.
(d) Through music, math, and memorization.

12. When was Rumi born?
(a) September 30, 1207.
(b) November 26, 1119.
(c) December 15, 1461.
(d) October 20, 1390.

13. Rumi's short-story poems range from less than fifty lines to approximately what length?
(a) Ten thousand lines.
(b) A hundred twenty lines.
(c) Two hundred lines.
(d) Two thousand lines.

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

15. In a poem in Book 1, Chapter 3, Rumi writes about a deer dying in the paws of a:
(a) Wolf.
(b) Lion.
(c) Tiger.
(d) Bear.

Short Answer Questions

1. What was salient and peculiar about Rumi's father?

2. What prominent themes are found in much of Rumi's work?

3. Much of Rumi's poetry is:

4. According to a poem in Book 1, Chapter 2, what happens when you put pond water into a larger body of water?

5. What post did Rumi inherit?

(see the answer keys)

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