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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. Where do Laila and her family spend the night while waiting for a connecting bus to Herat in Chapter 50?

2. Who does Tariq say sent out inquiries and told him of the death of Tariq's mother while they were in prison in Chapter 44?

3. What is the punishment for attempting to convert a Muslim to a different faith, according to the Taliban's flyers in Chapter 37?

4. Where is Laila forced to go in order to give birth in Chapter 39?

5. What movie does Aziza's family take her to see for her birthday in Chapter 51?

Short Essay Questions

1. What major political events are detailed in Chapter 49? What are Laila's thoughts on these events?

2. What is the greatest conflict that Laila faces in Chapter 31?

3. What choice does Laila face in Chapter 29? What circumstances dictate Laila's decision?

4. How is Laila's and Tariq's journey described in Chapter 50? Where do they visit on their way to Kabul?

5. How are the themes of suffering and grief illustrated in Chapter 28?

6. How are the conditions described when Laila gives birth in Chapter 39? Where does Laila give birth?

7. How have the politics of Afghanistan changed in Chapter 37? What new regulations are announced?

8. What leads to the development of friendship between Laila and Mariam in Chapter 33?

9. How are the circumstances and lives of Laila, Tariq, and their children described in Chapter 51?

10. How does Tariq's return affect Mariam and Laila's circumstances in Chapter 44? How does the author build tension in this chapter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Describe and discuss the setting of Kabul, Afghanistan, in the 1960s-1970s. How many people live in the capital? How divided is the wealth distribution in the city? How many citizens of Kabul were Muslim at this time? What other religions and cultures coexisted? How does this setting differ from Herat for Mariam?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Mir Akbar Khyber’s assassination and the politics in Afghanistan in 1978. What were the repercussions of the assassination? How did this change the political atmosphere in Kabul? How did this event contribute to the downfall of President Daoud Khan's government?

(see the answer keys)

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