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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why did Rumi's family flee the place of his birth?

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

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

4. Are Rumi's friends mentioned directly in his poems?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. Use the "me and you" example in this section to address Rumi's thoughts on identity.

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

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

4. Are Rumi's poems emotional or analytical?

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

6. With regards to beauty, what important connection does Rumi infer when he references a beautiful woman in the poem about a city being invaded by men driven by sexual desire?

7. Describe the "short story" model Rumi uses for many of his poems.

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

9. Who were Rumi's three best friends, and how did he regard each?

10. How would one describe the tavern poems?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What important lessons come through in the poem "Town and Country"? Describe the friendship between the two friends in this story. When the tables are turned and the shopkeeper gets to walk in the countryside man's shoes, how are his eyes opened? What does he finally see, after so many years, about the suffering his friend experienced when he first arrived in town?

Essay Topic 2

Using at least three examples from Rumi's poetry, explain his views on cultivating love. How does he teach his students about this topic through his poems? What conclusion, if any, does he reach regarding the attainment of love?

Essay Topic 3

Summarize Rumi's views on the following subjects:

1. True leadership.

2. A connection to the spiritual realm.

3. The necessity of companionship.

(see the answer keys)

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