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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. When the animal soul that Rumi refers to is lacking, it leads to what?
(a) Wildness.
(b) Order.
(c) Vigor.
(d) Frailty.

2. Over time, what has Coleman Barks been able to do with Rumi's poems?
(a) Translate them into five languages.
(b) Experience them more deeply.
(c) Teach them to his children.
(d) Decode secret messages.

3. What elevates Rumi's poems beyond a simple collection of ideas?
(a) Rich imagery.
(b) His references to other cultures.
(c) His use of diagrams.
(d) Confounding words.

4. Much of Rumi's poetry is:
(a) Cryptic.
(b) Subdued.
(c) Sarcastic.
(d) Passionate.

5. Rumi's works are deeply:
(a) Humorous.
(b) Emotional.
(c) Sorrowful.
(d) Irreverent.

6. The purpose of Coleman Barks' preambles to Rumi's poems is to:
(a) Add a new twist to the message of each poem.
(b) Expand upon Barks' discomfort with each.
(c) Get the reader to come up with his or her own judgments.
(d) Help the reader interpret each poem.

7. In the story of a camel and a mouse found in Book 1, Chapter 3, what does the camel do when the two reach a body of water?
(a) Tosses the mouse into the water.
(b) Encourages the mouse to continue.
(c) Takes a bath.
(d) Runs away.

8. In the book, Coleman Barks is the author of what?
(a) Conclusion.
(b) Appendix.
(c) Chapter Three.
(d) Introduction.

9. Rumi's poems focus on what aspect of life?
(a) Inner life.
(b) Imaginary life.
(c) Life's sorrows.
(d) Life after death.

10. Much of the works in this book focus on what type of relationships?
(a) Family.
(b) Same gender.
(c) Teacher and student.
(d) Romantic.

11. Relative to Rumi, who was Shams Tabriz?
(a) Employer.
(b) Cousin.
(c) Brother.
(d) Companion.

12. In a poem in Book 1, Chapter 3, Rumi writes about a deer dying in the paws of a:
(a) Wolf.
(b) Bear.
(c) Lion.
(d) Tiger.

13. "Cry Out In Your Weakness" is a poem about:
(a) Weakness.
(b) Punishment.
(c) Justice.
(d) Strength.

14. The poem "On Being A Lover" is written in what format?
(a) Song of lament by a woman who has lost her lover.
(b) Question and answer session between a man and a woman.
(c) Diary entry of a man who has lost his lover.
(d) Recollection by an old man of his younger years.

15. What was salient and peculiar about Rumi's father?
(a) He had visions.
(b) He was afraid of horses.
(c) He had no facial hair.
(d) He spoke seven languages.

Short Answer Questions

1. In the poem in Book 1, Chapter 2, about a man who wants a tattoo, what dilemma does he face?

2. In the end, how does the King regard Ayaz in a poem in Book 1, Chapter 3?

3. What is the "animal soul" that Rumi writes about?

4. Rumi's short-story format found in some of his poems is characterized by:

5. In Rumi's string metaphor, the string connects two animals by their what?

(see the answer keys)

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