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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 kind of animal blood did Joseph's brothers stain his cloak with when they threw him in the well?

2. How did the bird who questioned the hoopoe about the length of the journey describe the other birds?

3. Why was the slave who was given a splendid robe hung?

4. What were the birds told, by the hoopoe, to expect to plunge themselves into upon entering the Valley of Love?

5. What is the name of the scholar's task that describes the process of determining the actions/sayings of the Prophet Mohammad to be genuine?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why did the slave not complain about the apple that his king gave to him?

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

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

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

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

7. Describe the Valley of Detachment.

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

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

10. From the story "The Beggar Who Fell in Love with Ayaz," how was it justified that a beggar could be seen as an equal in royal court?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Attar mixes religious icons with historically important and known figures. Discuss the importance of this mixture. What did Attar hope to gain by this? Did it deepen the acceptance/understanding of the text? Why/Why not?

Essay Topic 2

The theme of love plays a large part in the book "The Conference of the Birds." Find the different definitions of love that the hoopoe uses and compare their uses throughout the stories. How is the imagery of love consistent throughout the book? Does love seem negative or positive? Why?

Essay Topic 3

The entire book was about the "Way." How did Attar show that the journey was important to all of mankind? What did Attar show to prove that this is a journey that all mankind must choose to face? Use textual evidence to support reasoning.

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This section contains 812 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample