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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. Which of the three brothers in Chapter 2, Book 2 ends up marrying the Chinese princess in the end?
(a) None.
(b) Youngest.
(c) Oldest.
(d) Middle.

2. While in the frying pan, what epiphany does a fish have in Book 2, Chapter 1?
(a) He's just dreaming.
(b) Existence goes on regardless of circumstances.
(c) Better him in the pan than his friends.
(d) He's learned his lesson.

3. Rumi wrote freely about various religious figures because he was familiar with them and:
(a) Wanted to be diplomatic.
(b) Needed their teachings to support his images.
(c) Wanted to point out their flaws.
(d) Comfortable with their teachings.

4. Which of the following is NOT a title of one of Rumi's works?
(a) These Exhaling Sounds.
(b) So Recklessly Exposed.
(c) Start Your Lives Over.
(d) These Lovely Bones.

5. In one of the poems in Chapter 2, Book 2, a king falls in love with a girl and decides to do what?
(a) Step down from the throne.
(b) Give her a house.
(c) Kidnap her.
(d) Offer her a job.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the smartest of three fish do in the fish tale in Book 2, Chapter 1?

2. One of the messages of the poem about three brothers who fall in love with a princess in Chapter 2, Book 2, could well be concerning the importance of:

3. Islam originated with:

4. In the poem in Book 2, Chapter 3 where a group is terribly jealous of a particular man, who is this man?

5. After the girl whom the king loves gets better in one of the poems in Chapter 2, Book 2, what does the doctor do?

Short Essay Questions

1. In the story where the king is in love with a girl, what ailment has afflicted her?

2. How does the story of the king and the girl he loves end?

3. Why does Rumi advise people to let go of scriptures after reading them?

4. What is the primary moral of the "Town and Country" story?

5. What are some of the lessons inherent in the story of the Friend assisting the prisoner through the prayer rug?

6. As Sheik, what is Rumi's ruling philosophy?

7. In one of the stories, a king falls in love with a girl, but she is not aware that he cares for her. How does he get close to her?

8. In the story where a king falls in love with a girl, and the girl becomes ill, what does the king learn about himself after a doctor arrives on the scene?

9. What is the outcome for each of three fish in one of Rumi's poems?

10. Summarize the folklore Coleman Barks refers to when introducing the poems of Book 2, Chapter 2 to the reader.

(see the answer keys)

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