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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 animal was the peasant leading when Sheikh Mahna came across him in the desert?

2. What did the poor man, who lived in a drainage ditch, borrow from his rich neighbor to ride to the mill?

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

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

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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. 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?

5. Describe the Valley of Detachment.

6. According to the hoopoe, why are loyalty and justice put beside "such majesty"?

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

8. Describe the stone man.

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

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

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

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?

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This section contains 815 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample