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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. How many birds gathered around the Hoopoe after he was chosen leader for the journey?

2. What did the hoopoe say the quest was for?

3. The gravedigger said ________ watched him dig graves?

4. What does Bismillah mean?

5. Whom did the Shiekh Sam'an see at dawn when he smelled the "musk-diffusing breeze"?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What did the birds ask the hoopoe about regarding the Way?

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

5. What was the meaning behind the story "A Pauper in Love with the King of Egypt"?

6. Describe the parrot's plumage.

7. What was the hoopoe's response to the partridge's excuse for not wanting to go on the quest for the Simorgh?

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

9. What reason did the nightingale give for not wanting to go on the journey to find the Simorgh?

10. What was the problem with love according to the hoopoe?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Discuss Attar's usage of birds in the book. What do the birds represent? Why are birds a suitable substitution for Attar's real "audience"? How does Attar personify the birds in the book?

Essay Topic 3

All of the stories that the hoopoe told were meant to provide positive assurance for the birds and their quest to find the Simorgh. Choose one of the stories and tell how the specific story helped the birds to conquer their fears and attempt the journey to find the Simorgh. Use details for support.

(see the answer keys)

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