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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. To Rumi, political governance is not so much about military maneuvers but more about what?

2. In the final story of Ayaz and the king, found in Book 2, Chapter 3, what do courtiers bring back to the king?

3. In "Town and Country," when the shopkeeper visits his friend in the country, what does the countryside man do?

4. In "Town and Country," the countryside man becomes good friends with a:

5. In one of the poems in Chapter 2, Book 2, a king falls in love with a girl and decides to do what?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is jealousy a recurrent theme in Rumi's work?

2. Summarize the folklore Coleman Barks refers to when introducing the poems of Book 2, Chapter 2 to the reader.

3. Summarize the countryside man's experience in "Town and Country."

4. Does Rumi disagree with holy scriptures?

5. Why does Rumi advise people to let go of scriptures after reading them?

6. How does the story of the king and the girl he loves end?

7. How did Islam come about?

8. What is the outcome for each of three fish in one of Rumi's poems?

9. In the story where a king falls in love with a girl, and the girl becomes ill, what does the king learn about himself after a doctor arrives on the scene?

10. What happens to the three brothers who fall in love with a powerful princess?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Rumi regard blind acceptance of certain practices, attitudes, and ideas? In his eyes, how can the inner guide serve as a voice of reason and direction when convention tries to pull an individual the wrong way?

Essay Topic 2

Explain how the poem about a prisoner who is helped by the Friend illuminates lessons on the following:

1. The power of prayer.

2. Trusting a dear friend.

3. Reading between the lines.

4. Finding the hidden messages in a situation.

Essay Topic 3

Using Rumi's poems to support your analysis, explain the poet's ideas regarding the following:

1. Tough love.

2. Making sacrifices.

3. Learning a lesson even when it's too late.

(see the answer keys)

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