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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. The gravedigger said ________ watched him dig graves?

2. What is the real reason that the nightingale said he could not go on the journey to find the Simorgh?

3. What did Abbasseh say that the Self must choose between?

4. Where did the finch say that he would seek his loved one at?

5. What did the turtle-dove wear around his neck?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did the birds decide that they needed a king?

2. Why did a "cowardly bird" protest going on the quest for the Simorgh?

3. What happened after the hoopoe was chosen as their leader?

4. According to the text, how does an earthly king act?

5. Why did the hoopoe compare the finch to Moses?

6. What problem did the hoopoe have with the hawk?

7. Describe the parrot's plumage.

8. What happened between Nimrod and the mosquitoes?

9. What will the quest do for the birds?

10. What did Socrates say to his student about burying him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Two of the most important themes that traverse the book's entirety are the importance of passionate love and the destruction of the Self. However, many times these two themes are joined to show that one depends wholly on the other. Discuss the dependency that passionate love and the destruction of the self have throughout the book. Why do they depend on each other? What stories show this dependency, and how do the stories speak to the dependency? Use only details from the book for support.

Essay Topic 2

The introduction of the book describes Attar's favorite literary device as the anaphora. Address the following in a paper: What is an anaphora? Why did Attar choose to use the anaphora? What purpose did the anaphora serve in the book? Give multiple examples of anaphoras used in the text and describe their use.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the different perils of the seven valleys. What did each valley possess that created a conflict for the journey. Why did the birds fear the valley? What did it mean for the birds that made it through each valley? What did each valley represent in life?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 750 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample