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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. What did the dervish ask of God in regard to the famine of Egypt?

2. Which angel refused to bow to Adam, even under the threat of losing his head?

3. How did falcons fly when they were distressed, in the Valley of Love?

4. According to the peasant in the desert ("Sheikh Mahna and the Peasant"), what hides the musk of the hunted deer?

5. What did everyone refuse to do to Ahmad Hanbal?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did the hoopoe tell the birds to expect in the Valley of Love?

2. Why did the hoopoe not have an exact length of the quest for the birds?

3. Describe the stone man.

4. What did the lover of the man who slept all the time write on the note that she attached to his sleeve?

5. What was the definition of justice that the hoopoe gave to the birds?

6. How did the hoopoe answer the bird that claimed to be satisfied with his spiritual state and, therefore, did not need to go on the quest to see the Simorgh?

7. Why was Husain, the son of Ali, killed?

8. What did the hoopoe say about audacity being allowed before the Simorgh?

9. Describe the Valley of Unity.

10. According to the hoopoe, who does the Way belong to?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

At the end of the book, the birds find out that they are, in fact, the Simorgh. Discuss the inferences that are made throughout the book that hint at this being true. How did their concerns, actions, fears, and successes lead you to believe that the birds were the Simorgh.

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

Religious figures and stories are intertwined throughout the novel. Discuss the usage of Christianity in the book. What does the use of Christian imagery and characters do to the meaning of the story? How did Attar use religion as an image in the book? Did the use of Christianity help in understanding the book? Why/Why not?

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This section contains 845 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample