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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. What kind of gun does Tariq say he's bought in Chapter 24?

2. What is the name of the nearby village that Nana's father is from?

3. What is the name of Fariba's 10-year-old son that she introduces to Mariam at the tandoor line in Chapter 10?

4. What is Tariq's father's profession?

5. What type of business does Jalil own when Mariam is a child?

Short Essay Questions

1. When does Chapter 21 take place? What is the political atmosphere like in Afghanistan at this time?

2. How does the narrator describe Mariam's discovery that she was an unwanted child in Chapter 1?

3. How are Jalil's visits to Mariam described in Chapter 4? What do they talk about?

4. How has Mariam's relationship with Rasheed evolved in Chapter 14? What has led to these changes?

5. What does Hakim reveal to Laila when they are alone at the top of the statues in Chapter 21?

6. When does Chapter 23 take place? What is the political atmosphere like in Afghanistan at this time?

7. What loss does Mariam suffer in Chapter 13? How does this loss affect her?

8. What news does Tariq relate to Laila in Chapter 25? How does Laila respond?

9. How has Fariba's behavior changed in Chapter 20? What does Laila make of these changes?

10. How have Mariam's circumstances changed by the end of Chapter 5? What has caused Mariam's circumstances to change?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and analyze the narrative style of the novel. Is the narrative related from a first, second, or third-person narrator? Is the narrator involved in the action of the story? How would the story differ if it were told from a different narrator?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the setting at the Buddha’s of Bamiyan and discuss the connection between Laila and her father here. Why does Hakim say that he brought Laila and Tariq to this setting? What does Laila’s father relate to her about Fariba’s behavior and about his own feelings of loss? What dreams does Hakim share with his daughter?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze and discuss the characters of Laila and Hakim in the novel. How does Laila’s relationship with her father differ from Mariam’s? How do Laila’s overall circumstances differ? What is Hakim’s profession? How would you describe Hakim’s relationship with his wife?

(see the answer keys)

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