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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. Despite high tension between different religions during his lifetime, Rumi was able to do what?

2. What does the smartest of the three fish fear, in the story in Book 2, Chapter 1?

3. In Book 2, Chapter 3, through his loyalty, Ayaz goes above and beyond what:

4. In Book 2, Chapter 3, Ayaz is able to follow orders, but is also able to go beyond being just:

5. What kind of leader is Rumi for his people?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why is jealousy a recurrent theme in Rumi's work?

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

4. Explain what the Mathnawi is.

5. In the poem where three brothers fall in love with the same woman, describe the person they fall in love with.

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

7. Explain the significance of candles in this last section of the book.

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 does King Solomon want from the Queen of Sheba?

10. Summarize the countryside man's experience in "Town and Country."

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast Rumi's description of candles and sunlight as guiding systems to the external and internal guidance to which people turn.

Essay Topic 2

Summarize the story about three fish with varying intelligence levels. What conclusions does Rumi reach at the end of this story? How has each fish benefited in his own way?

Essay Topic 3

Rumi writes about numerous love triangles. Summarize the stories and lessons associated with the following complicated "triangles:"

1. The case where three brothers fall in love with a Chinese princess.

2. The case where a king falls in love with a girl and her doctor, but the girl is in love with another person.

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