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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Rumi speaks of two distinct types of intelligence. One is cultivated from books and the other is what?
(a) Reserved for the highest masters.
(b) Unattainable.
(c) Pre-existing within a person.
(d) Learned in the streets.

2. Rumi uses the metaphor of a string between two animals to represent what?
(a) Secret connections.
(b) Selective hearing.
(c) Confusion.
(d) Imprisonment.

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

4. At times, God appears in Rumi's poems as a presence and at other times God is compared to:
(a) The Friend.
(b) The Judge.
(c) The Professor.
(d) The Tempter.

5. Many of Rumi's poems are so personal that they help readers reconnect to what?
(a) Childhood notions.
(b) Their analytical sides.
(c) Their emotional centers.
(d) Practical ideas.

6. What happens when the Caliph meets a beautiful, mysterious woman from the city his men have invaded, in a poem in Book 1, Chapter 2?
(a) He falls in love with her.
(b) One of his men attacks him.
(c) The woman attacks him.
(d) He regrets his actions.

7. In a poem in Book 1, Chapter 3 involving a complicated love triangle consisting of a man and two women, Rumi explores what subjects?
(a) Lust and disgust.
(b) Reconciliation, division, and uncertainty.
(c) Humor and tragedy.
(d) Love, jealousy, and fear.

8. Rumi's short-story format found in some of his poems is characterized by:
(a) A mystical, mysterious story.
(b) Bizarre characters.
(c) Angelic teachers.
(d) A complete, self-contained story.

9. Most of Rumi's poems presented in this book exhibit what form?
(a) Rhyming verse.
(b) Strict syllable counts.
(c) Formal repeating pattern.
(d) Light free verse.

10. When was Rumi born?
(a) November 26, 1119.
(b) September 30, 1207.
(c) December 15, 1461.
(d) October 20, 1390.

11. In this book, the term "nafs" refers to what?
(a) The highest state of enlightenment.
(b) A style of poetry developed by Rumi.
(c) A food commonly consumed during Rumi's time.
(d) The part of the soul associated with desires.

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

13. Why did Rumi's family flee the place of his birth?
(a) They feared a Mongol invasion.
(b) The land was attacked by Turks.
(c) They feared the ruler of the region.
(d) The land was struck by drought.

14. According to Rumi, how should one treat his or her baser nature?
(a) Passionately.
(b) With severe strictness.
(c) Cautiously.
(d) With kindness.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. When did Coleman Barks first become interested in Rumi's poetry?

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

3. Saladin of Zarkub was what?

4. Rumi indicates that people who have blind faith are following this path through what?

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

(see the answer keys)

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