Part One

1. What is the name of Mariam and Nana's home?

kolba

2. Why is Mariam called a harami?

She was a result of an affair her father had with his servant.

3. What did Nana always tell Mariam about men and the real world?

She said that men will always accuse a woman and that in the real world no one would treat Mariam respectively.

4. Who was Mariam's best friend who would visit he once a week at the kolba?

Mullah Faizullah

5. What was Mariam's reaction to Jalil not picking her up to see Pinocchio?

She went to Herat to see him herself.

6.What was Mariam's favorite thing to do with Jalil when he visited her?

She liked to go fishing in the river.

7. What did Nana do when Mariam left to see Jalil?

She hung herself from one of their trees.

8. What happened after Nana killed herself?

Jalil took Marium into his house.

9. How many wives and kids did Jalil have?

He had three wives and 11 kids.

10. When Jalil married Mariam off to Rasheed, how did she feel?

She was angered and digusted with Jalil.

11. How old was Mariam when she was married to Rasheed?

15 years old

12. Where did Rasheed take Mariam to live?

Kabul

13. Rasheed had what career?

He owned a shoe shop.

14. Which of Rasheed's first family members had died?

His wife and his son.

15. What does Rasheed do to Mariam that makes her uncomfortable?

He forced sex on her every night.

16. What did Mariam like that gave her protection from the outside world?

She hid behind the burqa, which Rasheed insisted she wear.

17. What car was Mariam fascinated with when Rasheed took her to town?

The Volga

18. What did Mariam find in Rasheed's room?

Pornography

19. Why did Mariam and Rasheed have troubles bearing children?

Mariam had numerous complications during her pregnancies.

20. How many cycles of pregnancy did Mariam go through?

7 cycles of dissapointment.

21. What did Rasheed insist when he first found out Mariam was pregnant?

He insisted that it was a boy and began buying clothes for him immediately.  

22. Where did Mariam's first miscarrage take place?

In the bathhouse

23. What did Mariam realize after 4 years of marriage?

She realized how much a woman could tolerate when she was scared.

24. What was Mariam afraid of at home?

She was afraid of Rasheed's shifting moods, his volatile temperment, his insistance on steering the slightest exchanges down a confrontaional path, and the beatings.

25. Why did Rasheed make Mariam chew on rocks?

He complained about her cooking and said that was how her rice tasted.

 

Part 2

1. Who joined the mujahideen fighting the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan?

Laila’s older brothers: Ahmad and Noor

2. What is Laila blessed with that Mariam does not have?

She has beauty, intelligence, and grace.

3. Who were Laila’s best friends and which one of them passed away?

Hasina and Gita. Gita was killed in an explosion

4. How did Tariq lose one of his legs?

During the war he steppever over a mine and one of his legs had to be amputated.

5. Why to Tariq’s family decide to leave Kabul?

The city is no longer a home to them. The war has taken a toll and has made life unbearable.

6. Why does Fariba mourn for her sons and does not notice Laila?

In their country, men are above all. Her sons are her pride and honor. Laila is just a daughter and Fariba knows that no matter how intelligent she is, there is no way she can amount to as much as her brothers can.

7. What was Tariqs last action before he leaves for Kabul?

He begs Laila to marry him. He wants her to run away with him yet she refuses because she cannot leave her family behind.

8. That was the act that took place between Laila and Tariq before they said their goodbyes?

They slept together. Laila says that it made her feel guilty yet she felt it was right.

9. Who else decides to leave Kabul after Tariq and his family depart?

Hakim convinces Fariba that they can no longer live in the city of Kabul anymore. It is far too dangerous and unsafe for their family to stay there.

10. What tragedy happens while they are packing to leave Kabul?

A stray rocket hits their house, killing Hakim and Fariba. Laila survives with injuries.

11. Explain Laila’s reaction the first time she saw Tariq without his fake leg on?

She cried and became scared.

12. What did Fariba do most of her days after her sons had passed away?

She sulked and mourned for them. She always did her five daily prayers.

13. What did Tariq’s father suffer with?

He was old and had a series of strokes.

14. What does Fariba warn Laila about Tariq?

Fariba tells Laila that the neighbors are watching. There are rumors spreading about their relationship and she wants Laila to be careful about what is being talked about in the neighborhood. She does not want her to ruin her reputation.

15. What did Tariq think made him seem sexy to the girls?

Smoking cigarettes 

16. Who taught extra lessons outside of school to Laila and why?

Hakim took the time to teach Laila more than what she learned in school because he believed that she was capable of accomplishing great things.

17. What was the quote from the poem that Hakim had mentioned?

“One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs, Or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls.”

18. What was really bothering Laila about Tariq?

She couldn’t decipher whether he said Am I hurting you? Or Is this hurting you?

19. Why did Laila feel more emotional when Giti dies more than when her brothers had died?

She never spent time with her brothers and never really got to know them. She didn’t have a connection with them. Giti was one of her best friends and she spent most of her days with her.

20. Why is it so emotional for Laila’s family to leave Kabul?

It is the land they have lived in all their lives. It is where Hakim got his first job and where he married her mother and had children. A lot of the events in their lives had taken place in this city.

21. What was the family’s last meal together?

Boiled eggs and leftover beans.

22. What did Laila dream about before the rocket hit the house?

She dreamed about living a fantasy life with her true love Tariq. She pictured sitting by the ocean with him.

23. What is the last thing she sees before she becomes unconscious

Blood

24. What does a strange figure give to her that makes her go to sleep?

A pink pill.

25. What does Laila wonder while she is hurt and injured?

She wonders where Tariq is and why he wasn’t there.

 

PART THREE: 

1. What does Laila discover when she awakes inside Rasheed's home?

She realizes that she is deaf in her right ear, and she is being taken care of by Mariam until she feels well, at least that is what Rasheed implied.

2. How does Rasheed describe the incident to Laila, even though she is in not able to comprehend it?

He says, "Lucky I was home, lucky for you, I mean. I dug you out with my own hands. There was a scrap of metal this big sticking right out of your shoulder. It was really embedded in there. I thought I'd have to use a pair of pliers. But you're all right. In no time you'll be good as new" (Hosseini 200). Although he may seem he has good intentions, his demeanor changes as the story progresses.

3. How does Rasheed's character change whenever he greets the young boys who loiter around Tariq's empty house? What does he say when he hears of their death by the rockets fired by the Hazaras of Wahdat?

Rasheed is surpisingly less angry and disrespectful, but when their death happens he says, "They had it coming," (Hosseini 201) Rasheed doesn't pity people, but he believes those who die an unfortunate death are results from how they lived their lives.

4. Which quote from Mullah Faziullah does Mariam recite to Laila in order to comfort her?

"Blessed is He in whose hand is the kingdom, and He Who has power over all things, Who created death and life that He may try you" (Hosseini 202).

5. What meaning does this quote convey? 

This quote details how important it is to have faith in Allah. He is the most mericiful and most benevolent. Everything falls under his plan. He has tested those closest you, and he may test you as well, so have profound faith in his judgement.

6. When Mariam arrives inside Laila's room, what news does she tell her?

Mariam tells her there is a man waiting to speak to her immediately. Maraim's words disclose that it's necessary she does not delay.

7. Who is the man who arrives to see and speak to her? What is odd about this man?

This man's name is Abdul Sharif. He claims he knew Tariq from the hospital he was being treated in for blood poisoning. Laila does not know who he is, but says he needed to talk to her about something Tariq wanted to tell her.

8. What is it that he tells her?

He tells her where he met Tariq and the condition he was in. He then tells Laila Tariq spoke so much about her, and he then tells her how Tariq died and why he felt an obligiation to fulfill his promise to Tariq.

9. When Rasheed says, "I'm so sorry. I know you were very close...friends...the two of you. Always together, since you were kids..." (Hosseini 211), why does he emphasize the word "friends"? Why is there an imminent sense of resentment? 

Rasheed and the other neighbors would worry that they shouldn't be spending so much time together. Rasheed's emphasis on the word friends explains his disapproval of their relationship. His resentment becomes more apparent throughout Part Three.

10. Why does Mariam assume Rasheed's kindess as this stage delivery? What evidence does she acquired?

"She understood with a dread that was like a blinding whack to the side of her head that what she was witnessing was nothing less than a courtship," (Hosseini 213). Mariam's foreboding deals with Rasheed's odd kindness since Laila's arrival. "It wasn't so much what he said, but the baltant lies, the contrived empathy, or even the fact that he had not raised a hand to her, Mariam, since he dug out the girl out from under those bricks. It was the staged delivery. Like a performance. An attempt on his part, both sly and pathetic, to impress. To charm" (Hosseini 213).

11. When Mariam figures out his intentions to marry Laila, how does he counter-argue with her objections? 

He says, "We need to legitimize this situation. People will talk. It looks dishonorable, an unmarried woman living here. It's bad for our reputation. And her's. And your's I might add. She just can't stay here, if that's what you're suggesting. I can't go on feeding her and clothing her and giving her a place to sleep. I'm not the Red Cross, Mariam" (Hosseini 214). Rasheed addresses her as an adult would address a child, and his true colors are evident from how he speaks of Laila. He is not generous nor is his heart in the right place, as Laila would believe. When Mariam questions his age and his reason, he says: "What of it? What? She's too young, you think? She's fourteen." Hardly a child. You were fifteen remember? My mother was fourteen when she had me. Thirteen when she married" (Hosseini 241).

12. When Rasheed says "Well, I'd say ths is downright charitable of me. The way I see it, I deserve a medal" (Hosseini 216) what are the reasons he states for his mandate to "save" Laila?

He says, "People are living under scraps of cardboard. TB, dysentery, famine, crime. And that's before winter. Then it's frostbite season. Pneumonia. People turining into icicles. Those camps become frozen graveyards. I knew you wouldn't take this well. I don't really blame you. But this is for the best. You'll see. Think of it this way, Mariam. I'm giving you help around the house and her sanctuary. A home and a husband. These days, times being what they are, a woman needs a husband. Haven't you noticed all the widows sleeping on the streets? They would kill for this chance" (Hosseini 215-216).

13. Why does Laila accpet his proposal?

She fears him. "He out a hand on her neck. Laila couldn't help wincing and recoiling. His touch felt like wearing a prickly old wet wool sweater with no undershirt" (Hosseini 218). Also, she figures out she is pregnant with Tariq's child and she needs a man to help raise the child that is a reminder of her past life.

14. When the family has their first dinner together, what does Rasheed end up saying about the both of them?

He compares them to automobiles (Marriam to a Volga) and (Laila to a Benz). His comparrion proves he sees no potential, no importance, no significance in either of them. To him, women are to tend to the house's needs and provide children.

15. How does Mariam and Laila's first conversation fare?

When Laila enters the kitchen to greet Mariam, Mariam becomes hostile. She accuses Laila of attempting to steal her husband. She then gives direct orders to Laila and ensuring their paths cross as less often as possible. "I will cook the dishes. You will do the laundry and the sweeping. The rest we we will alternate daily. And one more thing. I have no use of your company. I don't want it. What I want is to be alone. You will leave me be, and I will return the favor. That's how we will get on. Those are the rules" (Hosseini 226).

16. What does Laila's past about the women who gossiped unravel about Rasheed?

Laila dicovers Rasheed's only song had drowned because Rasheed was too intoxicated to notice. "You can imagine the rest. They boy went into the water unnoticed. They spotted him a while later, floating facedown. People rushed to help, half trying to wake up the boy, the other half the father. Someone bent over the boy, did the..the mouth-to-mouth thing you're suppose to do. It was pointless. They could all see that. The boy was gone. This is why the Holy Quran forbids sharab. Because it always falls on the sober to pay for the sins of the drunk. So it does" (Hosseini 228).

17. How does Laila feel about wearing the burqa? How was Maraiam's reaction similar? How were they different?

Similar to how Mariam responded with the relief of her anonymity. Mariam feared people would know she as harami. Laila felt that people would recognize her. The most prominent difference deals with Mariam believing people would actually notice her as what she claims they would see. Laila actually had a reputation around the city, therefore her anonomity would matter more.

18. What was the gender of the baby? And how did Rasheed act prior and after the birth?

When Laila was about to deliver, there was this strange atmosphere created where he cared greatly because that was his soon to be son. Yet, when they return from their hospital visit, he is rude and inconsiderate as always. "He let the gate go prematurely, and it almost hit the girl on the face" (Hosseini 233). His habits return when he finds out it was a girl and not a boy.

19. What is it that Laila wants to tell Mariam?

Laila begins to tell Mariam of a plan she has devised to escape. "We're leaving this spring, Aziza and I. Come with us, Maraim" (Hosseini 256).

20. When Laila decides to plead with a man to pass as her cousin when she is questioned bfore boarding the train, how does her plan backfire, and what were the consequences?

He seems willing to help, but when he is about to board on the train, he tells the militiaman that these two women and the child are running away from their husband. The militiaman agrees and he pulls Mariam, Aziza and Laila aside. They are then taken to a police station and Laila and Mariam are interrogated by this officer by the name of Rahman (though he discourages her from using his first name). They create a weak case against themselves and a cab drives them back home. When Rasheed figures this out, through the cab driver, and he beat both of them severely, then began nailing boards across the window so there would be complete darkness and no means of escape. He also starves them, and allows them to suffer through his anguish with nothing to eat or drink for days.

21. In chapter 37, the Taliban arrive. How does their presence affect Rasheed? How does he view them?

Rasheed praises the Taliban. He sees their involvement as necessary for Afghanistan's re-construction. "Let them come, I for one, will shower them with rose petals" (Hosseini 275). Rasheed's mindset is only a branch off of the tyranny and fear the Taliban strive for. Their power is immensely important for men like Rasheed because it gives them support and comfort knowing their ideals are supported by an omnious group of men.

22. What do Mariam, Rasheed, and Laila (with Aziza) withness at the Pashtunistan Square? 

They witness a rally for Muslims to witness and to praise what the Taliban has accomplioshed. One young Talib galvanizes the crowd with these profoundly hateful words about Najibullah. "He killed many, many Muslims! His crimes are known to everybody. He was a communist and a kafir (Hosseini 276).

23. What terrifying experience does Laila almost undergo when she finds out she is pregnant again--but this time with Rasheed's baby--?

Laila almost commits her own miscarriage. "And yet she had to wonder, as she lay on the floor, her sweaty hands poised to guid the spoke, if indeed she could ever love Rasheed's child as she a had Tariq's. In the end, Laila couldn't do it. It wasn't the fear of bleeding to death that made her drop the spoke, or even the idea that the act was damnable--which she suspected it was. Laila dropped the spoke because she could not accept what the Mujahideen readily had: that sometimes in war innocent life has to be taken. Her war was against Rasheed. The baby was blameless. And there had been enough killing already. Laila had seen enough killing of innocent caught in the cross fire of enemies" (Hosseini 283-284). She does not follow through with the killing of Rasheed's baby because it was not at fault to blame.

24. How does the argument between Laila and Rasheed erupt into? How is their despute settled? 

Their argument begins when Rasheed brings up a plan to turn Aziza into a street begger for money. He has a lackadasical sense of how to be a father to a girl rather than a boy. He treats Zamali very well. When Laila becomes frustrated with the idea, he smacks her. She then punches him without much thought. He then shoves his gun inside her mouth, ending her screams, protest and sound.

25. Ponder the last 70 pages. What events catalyzed a greater problem? How did you interpret the decisions Mariam and Laila made together? What about seprately? What was your reaction to Mariam's decision? And Tariq's arrival?

When Laila was forced to place Aziza into an orphanage, she was incredibly heartbroken. I felt resentment for what Rasheed forced Laila to do. He treated Zalami very well, but his doubts about Aziza being his true daughter turned into indifference for her health. He was greedy for Zalami's overall well-being. I was shocked when I read about Tariq's return. He seemed so heroic and a disallusionment for all that Laila was forced to suffer. When Rasheed finds out, his whole intent shifts from punishing her to killing her. I was very pleased to read Mariam's courage to kill Rasheed for all the pain he caused her. As soon as the story began to brighten up, Mariam decides to give herself up to the police because she refuses to live with the guilt of stealing a father away from Zamali and refusing to allow Laila and Tariq to live as fugitives. Her bravery is the highlight of the entire novel. Her life symbolizes the pain, suffereing and tolerence women have for what men force upon us.

 

 

 

PART FOUR

1.Why is Tariq on the edge of his bed rocking back and forth with his undershirt pulled over his head?

     He keeps getting headaches

2.Who prescribes the little round white pills Tariq has been taking?

     Sayeed's doctor

3.What did Laila and Tariq do the day they arrived in Muree?

     They got married

4.What is the attitude Zalmai has towards Tariq?

     He does not like Tariq. He says that his real father is away on vacation and when he gets back he will beat up Tariq

5.What is happening between Aziza and Tariq?

     They are getting along very well, finishing each others' sentences, and handing him things before he even asks

6.What does Tariq do on his days off?

     He takes Laila and the children to the mall where he buys them kebabs from street vendors

7.Who is killed by a two journalists who place a bomb in a video camera?

     Ahmad Shah Massoud

8.What catches the eye of Tariq and interupts his conversation with Sayeed?

     Tariq notices a plane on the television screen crash into a building

9. What do the Taliban announce after the attacks on The World Trade Center?

     The Taliban announces that they won't relinquish Osama Bin Laden because he is a guest who has found sanctuary in Afghanistan and it is unethical to turn in a guest

10.What is shocking to Mariam and Tariq when they are watching George W. Bush on T.V.?

     After the attacks on 9/11 George W. Bush declares war, and one of the countries he declares war on is Afghanistan

11.What does Tariq say that enrages and confuses Laila at the same time?

     After war is declared on Afghanistan, Tariq says that the war may not be such a bad thing for them

12.What is Laila's reasoning for arguing Tariq's point of view?

     She says that Tariq was not around in Afghanistan when the wars were going on. She lost her parents to the war and she has seen the turmoil that can come from sucha      horrible things

13.What happens on one warm night in July, 2002?

     Laila tells Tariq that she wants to move back to Kabul

14.Aziza is hesitant to move back to Kabul, what does Laila have to explain to her in order for her to leave?

     Laila has to explain to Aziza that the Taliban won't be in Kabul when they return

15.Why does Tariq hold the Koran over the door when they are leaving the hotel for the last time?

     He does this for good luck, he feels it will make their travels to Kabul run more smoothly

16.What comes from the darkened spirals of Laila's memory?  

     The poem that her father ricited to her about finding beauty even through darkness in Afghanistan

17.Where does Laila go when she is in Gul Daman?

     She visits Mullah Faizullah's son

18.Where does Mullah's son take Laila and what happens when she is there?

     He takes her to Mariam's old house where she lived with Nana. While Laila is in the house she sees the childhood Mariam

19.When Laila and Mullah's son Hamza return home, what does Hamza give to Laila?

     Hamza gives Laila a tin box

20.What is in the tin box that surprises Laila?

     In the box is a video of Pinnocchio, an apology letter from Mariam's father, and a generous amount of money going towards Laila

21.What finally ended after so long in Kabul and what came from a result of it?

     The drought in Kabul had finally ended and it brought knee high snow and rain for days

22.What job does Tariq find in Kabul?

     He finds work with a French NGO and they fit land mine survivors and amputees with prosthetic limbs

23.What does Laila end up doing at the end of the novel and where does she do it?

     She is a teacher and she teaches at the orphanage that Rasheed made Aziza go to earlier in the novel

24.What is the last surprise of the novel?

     Laila is pregnant once again, but now she can have her baby with Tariq and without an abusive spouse

25.What does the family have planned when it comes to baby names?

     If the baby is a boy then Tariq wants Mohammad, Zalmai wants Clark, Aziza wants Amen, and Laila wants Omar, but if the baby is a girl then the name has already been      chosen

Study Guide Quizes