View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Fariba say that Noor would have become if he hadn't been killed in Chapter 20?

2. On what date was Laila born?

3. What is the name of the elderly midwife that helped to deliver Laila?

4. Who does Jalil say "had raised the famous minarets as her loving ode to Herat back in the fifteenth century" in Chapter 1?

5. What disorder did Mariam's Nana develop before she was to wed at the age of fifteen?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the Afghanistan war against the Russians factor directly into Laila's storyline in Chapter 17?

2. What discrepancy is seen between Nana's and Jalil's descriptions of Mariam's birth in Chapter 2?

3. How is Laila's relationship with Tariq described in Chapter 18? How does Laila feel about Tariq's family?

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

5. How has Mariam adjusted to married life by the beginning of Chapter 11?

6. How are Laila's circumstances shown to be different than Mariam's circumstances in Chapter 16?

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

8. What political events are described by the narrator in Chapter 15? How do these events affect the citizens of Afghanistan?

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

10. What leads to the change in Fariba's behavior in Chapter 23? How does her behavior change?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the political atmosphere of Kabul following Najibullah’s surrender in 1992. How many different factions in Afghanistan began warring against one another at this time? What were the objectives of each group? How were the everyday lives of Afghani citizens affected by these changes?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the characters of Nana, Jalil, and Mullah Faizullah in the narrative. How do Nana and Jalil differ in their outlooks on life? How do they differ in their behavior? What does Mullah Faizullah represent to Mariam? What role does this character have in the community?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 948 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample