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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 reveal that life is not two-dimensional; on the contrary, it is very:
(a) Complex.
(b) Unfair.
(c) Flat.
(d) Boring.

2. In many of Rumi's poems, not only in Book 1, Chapter 2, but throughout the whole book, his distinction between "me" and "you" is what?
(a) Solid.
(b) Clear.
(c) Vague.
(d) Humorous.

3. Saladin of Zarkub was what?
(a) Barber.
(b) Farmer.
(c) Brick maker.
(d) Goldsmith.

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

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

Short Answer Questions

1. In the end, what does the character Ayaz do in a poem in Book 1, Chapter 3?

2. Rumi expresses himself in a way that is what?

3. How many years did it take Coleman Barks to truly comprehend Shams Tabriz through Rumi's poetry?

4. In the poems where Rumi includes a frog as one of the main characters, there is a deep friendship that develops between this frog and a:

5. 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?

Short Essay Questions

1. Briefly explain Rumi's metaphor of sugar and vinegar.

2. Are Rumi's poems emotional or analytical?

3. How does Rumi refer to his friends in the poems within Book 1, Chapter 3?

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

5. How does Ayaz learn from his predecessors in order to reach a decision that finds favor with the king?

6. How is Coleman Barks associated with Rumi?

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

8. Explain the disappearances of Rumi's friend, Shams.

9. How would one describe the tavern poems?

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

(see the answer keys)

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