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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 was wrong with the fruit that the "good-hearted monarch" gave to his favorite slave?

2. What name did the "ancient crone" give to Jacob when shouting to the seller about him?

3. What was the metaphor based upon the following tenet: "When my exchequer has no love to give"?

4. The peasant in the desert compared a man who does not seek to ___________.

5. Who did Abraham fight with while he drew his last breaths?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. According to the hoopoe, what happened when one entered the Valley of Insight into Mystery?

3. What must one do to find God in the Valley of the Quest?

4. Describe the Valley of Bewilderment.

5. According to the story "The Lover Who Wanted to Kill his Beloved," what must one do to be pious and reach the Lord?

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

7. What did Mahna's shiekh tell the old woman about how to pray?

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

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

10. Why did the bat wish to see the sun?

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

Given that the book was written in Persia during the twelfth century, how successful is it in relating to current issues that people face today? Does Attar's book pass the test of time? Why/Why not? Is the book as relevant today as it was during the twelfth century? What did you find to be lost in translation?

Essay Topic 3

The introduction of the book defines the use of metaphors as not typical of what an English reader would understand. Choose three examples of Attar's use of a metaphor and explain his use of the metaphor in the text.

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