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. Why does Laila agree to marry Rasheed?

2. How old is Mariam when Rasheed marries Laila?

3. When did Dostum switch sides and join Gulbuddin Hekmatyar in the Afghan Civil War?

4. What does the word "ahmaq" translate to in English?

5. How old is Tariq when he reappears in Chapter 44?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

6. What decision has Laila reached in Chapter 49, and what has led her to this decision?

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

8. When does Chapter 41 take place? How is the atmosphere of Afghanistan described at this time?

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

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

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 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?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,027 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample