View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Rumi advises people to accept help from holy scriptures and then:
(a) Let them go.
(b) Seek a wise counselor.
(c) Find their inherent flaws.
(d) Re-read the same scriptures a hundred times.

2. In Book 2, Chapter 3, Ayaz is able to follow orders, but is also able to go beyond being just:
(a) A simple follower.
(b) A crafty spy.
(c) A naive cook.
(d) A devoted husband.

3. What does the least intelligent fish do in the tale of three fish in Book 2, Chapter 1?
(a) Jumps up and down.
(b) Stares at the insects.
(c) Offends the other fish.
(d) Insults the crocodile.

4. What does the smartest of the three fish fear, in the story in Book 2, Chapter 1?
(a) His friends' intentions.
(b) His lack of faith.
(c) The other fish.
(d) His own weakness.

5. In one of the poems in Chapter 2, Book 2, when the oldest son decides to romantically pursue a Chinese princess, what happens to him?
(a) He's captured and never seen again.
(b) He's imprisoned.
(c) He's forced to marry her sister instead.
(d) He's killed by someone.

6. In a poem in Chapter 2, Book 2, what does the king discover about himself after the girl he loves receives medical attention?
(a) He is incapable of true love.
(b) He's in love with the girl's doctor.
(c) He's no longer in love with the girl.
(d) He's afraid of becoming ill.

7. What happens to King Solomon's crown in one of the poems in Book 2, Chapter 1?
(a) Is carried away by four birds.
(b) Is stolen by four thieves.
(c) Drops into the ocean.
(d) Keeps sliding down his forehead.

8. What is the greater message of Rumi's musings about candles in Chapter 3 of Book 2?
(a) Everything that is positive has a negative side.
(b) One will not need a guide upon arriving at the destination of the inner world.
(c) The light of a candle is nothing compared to the radiance of the heart.
(d) Sometimes we will need to find our way through the dark.

9. In the section called "Solomon Poems," Rumi's poetry makes direct references to:
(a) Judaism and Buddhism.
(b) Hinduism and Christianity.
(c) Islam and Christianity.
(d) Buddhism and Islam.

10. In "Town and Country," the countryside man becomes good friends with a:
(a) Gardener.
(b) Cook.
(c) Shopkeeper.
(d) Librarian.

11. What happens to the second son who tries to woo a Chinese princess in one of Rumi's poems in Chapter 2, Book 2?
(a) He falls off the edge of the world.
(b) He becomes lost at sea.
(c) He's captured and never seen again.
(d) He's killed by someone.

12. In Coleman Barks' folklore introduction to the poems in Chapter 2, Book 2, what is placed inside the pockets of the dead man?
(a) Firecrackers.
(b) Incense.
(c) Coins.
(d) Charms.

13. Through many of his poems, Rumi communicates that a person can never really know how another:
(a) Envisions the future.
(b) Feels.
(c) Makes a living.
(d) Cries.

14. In the final story of Ayaz and the king, found in Book 2, Chapter 3, what do courtiers bring back to the king?
(a) Information.
(b) Books.
(c) Food.
(d) Clothing.

15. In one poem in Book 2, Chapter 1, Rumi uses the image of Jesus Christ riding atop a donkey to explain a lesson about what?
(a) The rational mind and the animalistic nature of mankind.
(b) The divine living in the human world.
(c) The lack of pretense when one is self-confident.
(d) The master becoming the servant.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which prominent individual favors Ayaz in Book 2, Chapter 3?

2. What kind of leader is Rumi for his people?

3. Through many of his poems, Rumi reveals the depth and diversity of different types of:

4. In one poem in Book 2, Chapter 1, Rumi states that every sheik rides a lion, whether that lion is:

5. In one of Rumi's stories in Book 2, Chapter 1, a man is healed by what?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 619 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample