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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 does the word "ahmaq" translate to in English?

2. Where does the orphanage director tell Mariam he is from in Chapter 42?

3. What is the name of Mullah Faizullah's son that greets Laila in Chapter 50?

4. How many people does Rasheed say that the Mujahideen have killed in Kabul in the past four years prior to Taliban control in Chapter 38?

5. What is the name of Tariq's goat in Chapter 44?

Short Essay Questions

1. What leads to the capture or Mariam and Laila in Chapter 36?

2. What transition takes place in Chapter 27? What circumstances are established at the beginning of this chapter?

3. How do the conflicts between Laila and Mariam develop in Chapter 32?

4. How does Laila respond when she determines that she is pregnant in Chapter 38?

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

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

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

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

9. Why does Mariam attempt contacting Jalil in Chapter 41? What does she discover?

10. What symbolism and metaphors are explored through the death of Rasheed in Chapter 45?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze and discuss the character of Rasheed in the narrative. How does Rasheed treat Mariam after their wedding? How does she adjust to her new circumstances? What “rules” and expectations does Rasheed set in place for his wife? How does Rasheed’s character evolve in the course of the story?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the character of Mariam as one of the two protagonists in A Thousand Splendid Suns. How old is Mariam when she is introduced? What is Mariam’s relationship like with each of her parents? Whom is Mariam closest to? Why?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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