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

2. What is a Caliph?
(a) Leader.
(b) Student.
(c) Doctor.
(d) Teacher.

3. In the end, how does the King regard Ayaz in a poem in Book 1, Chapter 3?
(a) The King despises him.
(b) Nobody in the area is as smart as Ayaz.
(c) Ayaz is nothing but a fool.
(d) The King favors him.

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:
(a) Cat.
(b) Mouse.
(c) Bird.
(d) Fish.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Before responding to the king's command in a poem in Book 1, Chapter 3, what does Ayaz do?

2. In this book, the term "nafs" refers to what?

3. Which of the following best describes the word exoteric?

4. The poem in Book 1, Chapter 2 about a man who accidentally soils himself includes lessons on which of the following?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How has Rumi's poetry impacted Coleman Barks?

3. Summarize the poem about a man getting a tattoo. What message is delivered through this poem?

4. What lessons are found within the poem "Cry Out In Your Weakness?"

5. What does the poem about a mouse and a camel convey about friendship and honesty?

6. What might you conclude about Rumi's ideas regarding the importance of friendship?

7. Explain how Rumi uses the metaphor of a string when discussing the bonds of friendship in his writings about a frog and a mouse.

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

9. Explain Rumi's thoughts on love in comparison to jealousy and fear.

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

(see the answer keys)

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