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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. What is the premise in Rumi's "Town and Country"?

2. In "Town and Country," what does the countryside man do?

3. In "Town and Country," when the shopkeeper visits his friend in the country, what does the countryside man do?

4. In a poem in Book 2, Chapter 1, after a wise man feeds a poor man, what does he make the poor man do?

5. The people who are jealous of a particular man in a poem in Book 2, Chapter 3, do not think they are better than him; rather, they are displeased with:

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Summarize the shopkeeper's experience in "Town and Country."

3. Explain what the Mathnawi is.

4. In one of Rumi's story poems, in what predicament do three fish find themselves?

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

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

7. How are the men's experiences similar in "Town and Country?"

8. Explain how Rumi uses the idea of Jesus riding a donkey as a metaphor.

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

10. What is the solution to King Solomon's crown constantly sliding down his forehead?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Rumi regard blind acceptance of certain practices, attitudes, and ideas? In his eyes, how can the inner guide serve as a voice of reason and direction when convention tries to pull an individual the wrong way?

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

Explain how the poem about a prisoner who is helped by the Friend illuminates lessons on the following:

1. The power of prayer.

2. Trusting a dear friend.

3. Reading between the lines.

4. Finding the hidden messages in a situation.

(see the answer keys)

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