View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. A baby __________ hears a whistling and is thus driven to fly into the sky, according to Rumi.
(a) Hawk.
(b) Owl.
(c) Pigeon.
(d) Eagle.

2. In the poem, "Give ______ slowly" Rumi uses the new moon as a metaphor for patients and slowness in creation.
(a) Truth.
(b) Love.
(c) Honor.
(d) Birth.

3. Rumi asserts in his poems that "the miracle of ______ is himself, not what he said or did about the future."
(a) Buddha.
(b) Jesus.
(c) Gandhi.
(d) Muhammad.

4. Those who do not wake to the truth, according to Rumi, are those who do not embrace the beauty of __________.
(a) Light.
(b) Nature.
(c) Lessons.
(d) God.

5. The writer continues to tell the reader to keep working, searching for __________ in the daily practice.
(a) Women.
(b) Answers.
(c) Love.
(d) Water.

Short Answer Questions

1. Not doing the work God sent you to do is like "pounding a _____ of the finest tempering to hang things on."

2. Rumi challenges us to "work in the ______ world as hard as we do in the visible" and to "be a companion with the prophets."

3. _______ was sold by his brothers into slavery in Egypt , gradually came to power there, and made a complicated trade route.

4. In the poem "The Prophets" the people wonder "How long should we keep pounding this cold _____?"

5. "______ think they're looking for each other, but there's only one search: wandering the world."

Short Essay Questions

1. After the narrator says they are no religion or culture, not east or west, what does the narrator say they do belong to?

2. Describe the metaphor Rumi uses when it comes to the black sky and the moon.

3. What is the metaphor Rumi uses to urge the reader to take risks in their life?

4. What are some of the ways a person will be able to bring themselves into the present moment, according to Barks?

5. What happens after Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers, according to the writings of Rumi?

6. What should a person do with their life instead of acting from fear, according to the writings of Rumi?

7. What do Barks and Rumi have to say about the rhythms and the way that a person breathes in their life?

8. What are the amazing things prophets have done, according to the writings of Rumi?

9. What is the question Shams asks Rumi, which leads Rumi to believe that Shams is a great person?

10. What does Rumi have to say about the road to Mecca when he is describing the idea that some mysteries aren't meant to be known?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 644 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample