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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. 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.

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

3. How many years did it take Coleman Barks to truly comprehend Shams Tabriz through Rumi's poetry?
(a) 15.
(b) 28.
(c) 6.
(d) 37.

4. Rumi asserts that the union between a man and a woman has what associated with it?
(a) Earthly connection.
(b) Spiritual component.
(c) Hint of sadness.
(d) Emotional baggage.

5. What prominent themes are found in much of Rumi's work?
(a) Travel and loss.
(b) Marriage and divorce.
(c) Love and unity.
(d) Hate and separation.

Short Answer Questions

1. How many additional poems were translated and included in the New Expanded Edition?

2. When was the New Expanded Edition of this book published?

3. Coleman Barks is famous for what?

4. When speaking of sugar and vinegar, Rumi notes that a spoonful of vinegar:

5. Many of Rumi's poems reveal that life is not two-dimensional; on the contrary, it is very:

Short Essay Questions

1. Summarize Rumi's early life.

2. What are the underlying themes in Rumi's poem about sexual passion where a city is invaded and one of the invaders falls in love with a woman there?

3. What does Coleman Barks mean when he indicates that part of his experience of perceiving Rumi's poems is transcendental?

4. How would you describe Rumi's writing style?

5. What is the poet's message about friendship in his writings about a frog and a mouse?

6. In what ways does God appear in Rumi's poetry?

7. How would one describe the tavern poems?

8. Summarize the poet's message about the importance of balance with respect to the "animal soul."

9. Are Rumi's poems emotional or analytical?

10. What makes Rumi's poems emotionally well integrated?

(see the answer keys)

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