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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 tells the reader to start __________ on their own personal journey to enlightenment, according to one of the poems.

2. Bawa lived alone in a ________ before beginning to teach in Sri Lanka in the 1940s before moving to Philadelphia.

3. The poet speaks of being locked in a _________ and of someone who brings him good and forgives him.

4. Rumi says that he does not regret love or passion, but owners everyone's __________, according to the writing.

5. The __________ is the reason for the praying, according to Allah, as Rumi recollects in one of his poems.

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the fragrance bring back to Rumi, when he's lost a connection to a loved one, according to the poem?

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

3. What are the three ways in which Rumi could write, according to Shams?

4. What are the differences that Rumi says do not exist in the garden of mystic lovers?

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

6. What does Rumi think that cow might experience when they are in Baghdad?

7. What did the poet's teacher teach him to do, according to the writings of Rumi?

8. What happens as the result of the spiritual journey that Shams and Rumi discuss?

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

10. What does the teacher say about speaking scripture, according to the writings of Rumi?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Barks points out that repetition can be spiritual, not numbing as many people have come to think of it, in his opinion.

Part 1: Why do you think repeating something again and again can be spiritual?

Part 2: Are there any things you do again and again which you might find spiritual?

Part 3: How do you think the brain changes when it has to repeat the same action again and again?

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

Some of the poems in this collection of Rumi's work celebrate the idea of openness in life and in spirit.

Part 1: Why do you think openness is essential in life?

Part 2: Do you think that openness is something which can be easily cultivated in life?

Part 3: How do you think that you can personally cultivate more openness in your own life?

(see the answer keys)

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