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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. The poet quotes Muhammad in one of the poems, saying that he will come take a person before _________.

2. Rumi met his companion Shams of _______ , described as a "street boddhisattva", in the marketplace.

3. Shams asks Rumi who is greater, Muhammad the messenger of God, or ______ a mystic who claimed to be one with God.

4. Rumi notes that the miracle of Jesus is ______, not what he did or said about the future, according to the poems.

5. Rumi gives a definition for what we are, "You are the strange business. You have the energy of the ______ in you."

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Zuleikha, an Egyptian woman in love with Joseph, do with the shirt that Joseph wears in the story?

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

3. How does breathing help to calm a person, according to Barks' thoughts at the beginning of the section?

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

5. Who does Rumi say will not be able to wake to the truth, according to the writings of Rumi?

6. What does Rumi realize about his friend Shams when he doesn't believe that he is actually dead?

7. What will happen to a person's present life when they are going on a spiritual journey, according to the writings of Rumi?

8. What is the metaphor Rumi uses in order to describe the pull of love in one's life and how one should be pulled by love?

9. What is the real work of human beings, according to the writings of Rumi?

10. What does Rumi do when he is so impressed with the depth of the knowledge of Shams?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Rumi compares himself to a seeker who thinks he needs to get into somewhere special, only to realize that he is actually trying to get out.

Part 1: Why do you think Rumi uses the metaphors of animals so often in his poems?

Part 2: How do you interpret the idea of knocking on a door, only to realize one needs to be let out, not let in?

Part 3: How do you think a person can begin to release themselves from the inside of their journey?

Essay Topic 2

Rumi continues to use metaphors in the poems, helping to show the reader how they are akin to other beings and plants in the world.

Part 1: Why do you think poets rely on metaphors to help them with their messages?

Part 2: Do you think it's better to use metaphors or to speak directly to a reader?

Part 3: How do you think the metaphors affect a reader? How did the metaphors affect you as you read them?

Essay Topic 3

Within many of the poems that Rumi writes are references to biblical figures, even though Rumi is considered to be another religion besides Christian.

Part 1: Why do you think Rumi resonates with the stories of the biblical figures?

Part 2: Does it seem to be cultural appropriation to use the biblical stories in Rumi's poems?

Part 3: How do you think stories can impact us, even if they're not 'our' stories?

(see the answer keys)

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