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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 is the punishment for adultery, according to the Taliban's flyers in Chapter 37?

2. Where does a guard tell Mariam and other citizens that this hospital no longer treats women in Chapter 39?

3. Where does Rasheed take Laila and Mariam to see the Taliban when they arrive in Kabul in Chapter 37?

4. What "gift" does Mariam give to Laila in Chapter 34?

5. What does the word "sawab" translate to in Chapter 36?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. When does Chapter 42 take place? What are the circumstances like at this time for Laila and Mariam?

6. How would you describe the sacrifice that Mariam makes in Chapter 46? What are the consequences of this sacrifice?

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

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

9. How would you describe the ending of the novel? Do you think the novel ends on a hopeful note? Why or why not?

10. What is symbolic about the burial that takes place in Chapter 40?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the arrival of the Taliban in Kabul and the establishment of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and its laws. What requirements are men given in regard to their appearance? What requirements are given for women’s appearance under these laws? How were the daily lives of women in Kabul affected by these changes?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss marriage customs within Muslim society and girls’ education in Afghanistan in the 1960s and 1970s. Jalil has three wives in the novel. How common is it for Muslim men to have more than one wife? What customs surround marriage and courtship in Afghanistan, particularly in the 1960s?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the themes of grief and war in A Thousand Splendid Suns. How are these themes illustrated symbolically in the novel? How do the women and men in the narrative express their grief differently? How are war and grief intertwined for the characters in the story?

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