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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. Rumi stops his list of things which he uses to describe a friend within his poem in order to ______________.

2. What season does Rumi say it always is within the human soul, according to his writing?

3. Lovers have to ________________, but they will find something of infinite value, according to the writing of Rumi.

4. Shams points out that what everyone is actually worshiping is ___________, rather than a higher being.

5. Rumi notes that everywhere a reader goes, they will perceive others as they themselves are, just as a _________ will ignore the amazing city of Baghdad.

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens as the result of surrendering to love, according to the writings of Rumi?

2. What does Rumi say that he doesn't regret in his life, according to one of his poems?

3. How does Rumi describe the idea of love in the last section of these poems?

4. What does Rumi try to do in order to find his lover again, according to the writings of Rumi?

5. What happened as a result of Zuleikha loving Joseph so much that he became everything to her?

6. What does Barks say that openings are a place for, according to his commentary in this section?

7. What happens during the chess game between Shams and Rumi, according to Barks?

8. When Shams asks about if the drop stays still in the ocean, what does he tell Rumi to do?

9. What do the Sufis think about love and about its ability to help people, according to the book?

10. What are some of the things Rumi says are a part of a friend of all things?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In many cases, Rumi seems to be struggling with his feelings about God and about his life, writing them out in his poems.

Part 1: Do you think it's normal to have problems deciding what you feel about your religion and your faith?

Part 2: Why do you think Rumi continues to struggle with his relationship with God, its meaning, and its importance?

Part 3: Should there come a time when you don't have to struggle with the idea of your faith anymore?

Essay Topic 2

Rumi is a man who asked a lot of questions, if the poems are to be believed as being his life retold.

Part 1: Why do you think it's important to ask a lot of questions?

Part 2: How do you think a person might learn in life if they don't ask any questions?

Part 3: Are you a person who likes to ask a lot of questions? Why do you ask a lot of questions or why don't you?

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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