CSA: The Ancient World / Part 2
Persian and Arabic Literature
I.
Critical Reading: Identify the letter of the choice that BEST answers the questions.
“The Fisherman and the Jinnee” from Arabian Nights (text pp. 86 – 96)
1.
Why did the jinnee swear to kill the man who freed him in “The Fisherman and the Jinnee”?
a.
The jinnee was angry at him.
c.
The jinnee was relieved to be free.
b.
the jinnee missed his family.
d.
The jinnee was tired of waiting to be freed.
2.
Why does the falcon keep knocking over the bowl of liquid in “The Fisherman and the Jinnee”?
a.
The falcon likes to tease the king.
c.
The falcon wants to misbehave.
b.
The falcon is jealous of the king.
d.
The falcon wants to save the king.
3.
Which phrase best summarizes the falcon’s attitude?
a.
jealous of King Sindbad
c.
b.
greedy for King Sindbad’s wealth
d.
loyal to King Sindbad
cruel to King Sindbad
4.
How does King Sindbad behave when he attacks the falcon?
a.
He is fair and reasonable.
c.
He cannot control his anger.
b.
He is easily frightened.
d.
He acts calmly.
5.
Why does King Yunan talk about King Sindbad and the falcon?
a.
to teach the vizier a lesson
c.
to help the vizier sleep
b.
to surprise the vizier
d.
to impress the vizier
6.
How does King Yunan behave toward the doctor?
a.
His gratitude is stronger than his fears.
b.
His fears are stronger than his gratitude.
c.
His kindness is stronger than his selfishness.
d.
His trickery is stronger than his gratitude.
7.
Which statement best describes the relationship of the three folk tales that make up “The Fisherman and the
Jinnee”?
a.
A character in the first story tells a second story in which a character tells a third story.
b.
The first story explains the characters’ plight in the second story, which in turn explains the characters’
plight in the third story.
c.
All three stories feature characters who are members of the same extended family.
d.
All three stories trace the adventures of different members of King Yunan’s court.
8.
Which character trait leads the fisherman to discover the jinnee?
a.
curiosity
b.
wisdom
c.
resentment
9.
d.
compassion
Which sentences gives the best summary of the jinnee’s background?
a.
He was the leader of the giants who fought in the armies of King Solomon, a prophet of Allah.
b.
He was imprisoned in a bottle after disobeying a king.
c.
He was a rebel jinnee whom King Solomon imprisoned in a bottle and had cast into the sea because
the jinnee refused to accept Solomon’s religion.
d.
He was a rebel jinnee who, along with Sakhr the Jinnee, mutinied against King Solomon, who then sent
for several faithful jinn, who carried the bottle away and cast it into the middle of the sea.
10.
What is one major difference between the jinnee and the fisherman?
a.
The fisherman is foolish; the jinnee is clever.
b.
The fisherman is religious; the jinnee is poor.
c.
The fisherman is religious; the jinnee is blasphemous.
d.
The fisherman is an influential member of society; the jinnee is a despised outsider.
11.
What motivates King Yunan’s vizier to speak ill of Duban the Doctor?
a.
He suspects Duban is plotting against the king.
b.
He fears Duban will poison him in order to take his place as the king’s adviser.
c.
He is afraid the clever doctor will uncover his plot to overthrow the king.
d.
He is jealous of the doctor’s favor with the king.
12.
Why does King Yunan decide to kill Duban?
a.
He discovers that the doctor has given him a poisoned book.
b.
He is furious when his leprosy returns.
c.
He learns that the doctor and the vizier are plotting together to overthrow him.
d.
He becomes convinced that the doctor is trying to kill him.
13.
How are the jinnee and King Yunan alike?
a.
Both derive their power from magic.
b.
Both unfairly seek to punish an innocent person.
c.
Both understand how to outsmart an opponent.
d.
Both unwisely follow the advice of a vizier.
14.
What lesson about life does “The Tale of King Yunan and Duban the Doctor” most clearly convey?
a.
It is important to maintain traditions.
b.
People with power should be merciful.
c.
A good leader is harsh but fair.
d.
Remain strong through adversity.
15.
If you were summarizing “The Tale of King Sindbad and the Falcon,” which of these details would you be
LEAST likely to include?
a.
The king goes hunting with the falcon.
b.
A gazelle falls into the king’s snare.
c.
The falcon prevents the king from drinking the poison.
d.
The king causes the death of the falcon.
16.
As a folk-tale character, what are the two main traits that the falcon displays?
a.
enthusiasm and impulsiveness
c.
love of freedom and devotion to duty
b.
resourcefulness and loyalty
d.
cleverness and deceit
17.
What are King Sindbad’s chief character traits?
a.
He is harsh and impetuous.
c.
b.
He is weak and wavering.
d.
18.
He is skilled and clever
HE is pious and devout.
Which of these events is a supernatural element of one of the three folk tales?
a.
the doctor’s cure for King Yunan’s leprosy.
b.
the vizier’s destruction of the doctor’s reputation
c.
a falcon is trained to hunt
d.
a snake’s venom that gets into King Sindbad’s water
19.
Which of these is the chief aim of folk tales like “The Fisherman and the Jinnee”?
a.
to amuse the educated upper class
b.
to reach religious doctrine
b.
to entertain the common people
c.
to record the accomplishments of kings and queens
20.
Which word best completes this sentence?
“And with this cruelty you repay my kindness?” asked the doctor _____.
a.
enraptured
b.
indignantly
c.
resolutely
d.
sympathetically
“Arabian Nights” – Critical Viewing
21. Which story is the best example of a frame narrative?
a. Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves
b. Sultan Shahriyar and Shaharazad
c. The Three Brothers
d. Aladdin and the Lamp
22. “The Sultan has been eaten by the worm of________________.”
a. love
c. hatred
b. jealousy
d. madness
23. “Life often turns on such a small thing as a flickering__________________”
a. oil lamp
c. wing
b. light bulb
d. eyelash
24. Amin the beggar begins taking the role of_______________ very seriously.
a. poor person
c. husband
b. storyteller
d. sultan
25. “…never tell the same________ twice.”
a. joke
c. moral
b. story
d. narrative
26. To Shahriyar, Shaharazad is more precious to him than his _________.
a. riches
c. kingdom
b. life
d. brother
“Elephant in the Dark” by Rumi (text pp. 118)
27.
In “Elephant in the Dark,” which sense do people use to get an idea of what the elephant looks like?
a.
sight
b.
hearing
c.
touch
d.
smell
28.
Which statement is a good generalization of the point Rumi is making in “Elephant in the Dark”?
a.
No single person knows the entire truth about anything.
b.
No one can ever know the truth about anything.
c.
It is hard to really know what an elephant looks like.
d.
Elephants are confusing animals to understand.
29.
What generalization can be made from this passage from “Elephant in the Dark”?
“If each of us held a candle there, / and if we went in together, / we could see it.”
a.
b.
Human cooperation is important.
There is a way for blind people to see.
c.
d.
Kindness toward elephants is needed.
We need to get more light to see better
30.
What does “Elephant in the Dark” suggest about how people’s opinions are formed?
a.
They are based on thorough research.
c.
They are based on a lack of knowledge.
b.
They are based on partial knowledge.
d.
The are based on real truth.
31.
Which is the best generalization about the view of truth in “Elephant in the Dark”?
a.
Truth can set you free.
c.
Truth never changes.
b.
Truth has a single reality.
d.
Truth is hard to define.
32.
What is the search for truth compared to in the analogy in “Elephant in the Dark”?
a.
group meditation
c.
a race between contestants
b.
groping in the dark
d.
a bright sunny morning
33.
Which generalization about human understanding is suggested by “Elephant in the Dark”?
a.
It leads from the part to the whole.
c.
It leads from the top to the bottom.
b.
It leads from the largest to the smallest.
d.
It leads from the first to the last.
34.
The dark room in “Elephant in the Dark” is a metaphor for which of the following?
a.
how humans perceive knowledge
c.
how death takes over everything
b.
how spiritual leaders gain knowledge
d.
how the afterlife can be rewarding
35.
In “Elephant in the Dark,” how can be image of the dark best be described?
a.
It is an implied metaphor.
c.
It is a generalization.
b.
It is a direct metaphor.
d.
It is a sensation.
36.
Which title is the best generalization of the message of “Elephant in the Dark”?
a.
“Overcoming the Fear of Ignorance”
b.
“Understanding Ourselves Better by Studying Animals”
c.
“Learning to Overcome Our Fears”
d.
“Overcoming the Limits of Human Understanding”
II.
Cold Reading: “Two Kinds of Intelligence” (text pp. 120)
Read carefully Rumi’s poem “Two Kinds of Intelligence” before answering the following questions:
37.
Which are the kinds of intelligence discussed in “Two Kinds of Intelligence”?
a.
learned and inherited
c.
partial and whole
b.
artificial and natural
d.
genuine and fake
38.
In “Two Kinds of Intelligence,” how does the first kind of intelligence most likely come about?
a.
from observing nature
c.
from meditating in a room
b.
from attending classes
d.
from writing a poem
39.
In “Two Kinds of Intelligence,” people go “in and out of fields of knowledge” to get marks on their “preserving
tablets.” For which idea is “preserving tablets” a metaphor?
a.
understanding oneself
c.
insight into human beings
b.
a supply of acquired facts
d.
the ability to repair objects
40.
Which is true of the second kind of intelligence in “Two Kinds of Intelligence”?
a.
It comes from within people.
c.
It is based on book learning.
b.
It causes people to be ranked.
d.
It helps people rise in the world.
41.
Which idea guides “Two Kinds of Intelligence”?
a.
seeking wisdom through one’s soul
b.
shaping one’s mind by studying
c.
d.
thinking about one’s fate in the afterlife
respecting the wisdom of older people
42.
Which word pair best describes the two kinds of intelligence in “Two Kinds of Intelligence”?
a.
what we study and what we teach
c.
what we value and what we feel
b.
what we read and what we create
d.
what we learn and what we are born with
43.
How does the metaphor of “a spring overflowing its springbox” describe one kind of intelligence?
a.
It is warm.
c.
It is old-fashioned.
b.
It is lively.
d.
It is helpless.
44.
Which passage from “Two Kinds of Intelligence” is an example of implied metaphor (an implied comparison)?
a.
“There are two kinds of intelligence …”
c.
“a freshness in the center of the chest”
b.
“With such intelligence you rise …”
d.
“a child in school memorizes facts”
45.
Which of the following would NOT be a result of acquired intelligence, according to Rumi?
a.
memorized facts
c.
getting “marks”
b.
collected knowledge
d.
intuition
46.
Which of the following might NOT demonstrate the kind of knowledge that flows from a “springbox”?
a.
the capacity of feel joy at a sunrise
c.
rote knowledge of a subject
b.
kindness to one’s fellow man
d.
a good sense of values