A Thousand Splendid Suns

1. What is a harami?

A) a head covering worn by Muslim women

B) an illegitimate child born out of wedlock

C) a traditional Afghan home made of concrete

D) a musical instrument similar to a guitar

2. In Mariam’s opinion, why does Nana try to prevent her from living life as fully as she can?

A) because Nana is afraid Mariam will find the happiness Nana never had

B) because Nana doesn’t want to see Mariam get hurt

C) because Nana suffers from serious mental illness

D) because Nana is resistant to change

Discussion Suggestion: Use the above question to discuss Nana’s true motivations for sheltering young Mariam, Mariam’s perceptions of Nana’s actions, and the tension evident between the characters’ divergent understandings. What complex factors influence Nana’s attitude toward Mariam? Given the harsh realities Mariam will soon face, is Nana right to treat her like this?

3. How does Nana die?

A) a Mujahideen bomb

B) a Soviet bomb

C) a heart attack

D) by suicide

4. Why are Jalil’s wives so eager to marry Mariam off?

A) They are genuinely concerned over Mariam’s happiness.

B) They want to get rid of the last trace of Jalil’s scandal.

C) There is not enough food in the house to feed another mouth.

D) Mariam brings shame to their household.

5. What is Mariam’s initial reaction to Rasheed?

A) She is cautiously optimistic that he will be a good husband.

B) She finds him handsome.

C) She finds him repulsive.

D) She finds him enigmatic.

6. To what city does Mariam move with Rasheed?

A) Herat

B) Peshawar

C) Kabul

D) Jalalabad

Discussion Suggestion: Rasheed forces Mariam to wear a burqa, a garment that covers the body and face, when in public. This is in accordance with Islamic traditions of modesty, though the requirement of so restrictive a garment is contested by Islamic scholars. Given how burdensome it is for many to wear a burqa, not to mention the extent to which they are used as a tool to control women, many countries have moved to ban the burqa, especially in Europe. Are these bans justifiable, or do they impose an unreasonable restriction on religious freedom? To inform your discussion, reference this Vox article on the complicated politics of burqa bans.

7. What does Mariam wish she could tell Nana as she watches the fireworks at Chaman?

A) One must survive, even if the face of unspeakable suffering.

B) Nana is missing nothing, by exiting the world.

C) Allah has a plan for all of us.

D) Beauty is attainable, even for people like Mariam and Nana.

8. Which of these is an item Mariam finds when cleaning Rasheed’s room?

A) pornography

B) marijuana

C) poison

D) a knife wrapped in a bloody rag

9. After her first miscarriage, why does Mariam believe she does not deserve to be a mother?

A) She feels responsible for her own mother’s death.

B) Illegitimate children like her do not deserve to be mothers.

C) Anyone who submits to Rasheed does not deserve to be a mother.

D) She frequently has unclean thoughts about men other than Rasheed.

Discussion Suggestion: What is the significance of Mariam suffering horrific abuse on the date of April 27, 1978? Explore the importance of that date as a turning point in Afghanistan’s history. For context, reference this helpful explainer from LawFare on the Soviet Union’s reasons for invading Afghanistan and how they differ from the U.S.’s reasons for invading Afghanistan in 2001.

More broadly, discuss how Hosseini uses historical events to mirror various plot and character developments.

10. Why does Laila’s schoolteacher call her “Inquilabi girl”?

A) She was born in the town of Inquilabi.

B) She was born on the night of the Communist revolution.

C) She belongs to the Inquilabi tribe.

D) She has blond hair.

11. Whom does Laila consider her “true brother”?

A) Khadim

B) Hakim

C) Rasheed

D) Tariq

12. Broadly speaking, what are the goals of the Mujahideen?

A) to reinstate sharia law in Afghanistan

B) to fight alongside the Soviet Army against the Taliban

C) to fight the Soviet Army and the Soviet-backed communist regime

D) to plot terrorist attacks against Western nations

Discussion Suggestion: Discuss how expanded women’s rights—like the ones Hakim hopes his daughter Laila will enjoy—informed efforts by the Mujahideen and later the Taliban to reestablish Afghanistan as an ultra-conservative Islamist state. For reference, read this Amnesty International primer on the history of women’s rights in Afghanistan.

13. Why does Hakim feel that his dream of opening an Afghan restaurant in California is unrealistic?

A) The U.S. makes it very difficult for Afghans to immigrate there.

B) Fariba will never leave the country where her sons were martyred.

C) Americans are too close-minded to try Afghan food.

D) To leave Afghanistan, one must bribe officials, and Hakim cannot afford it.

14. What major national event happens in April 1988?

A) The Soviets leave Afghanistan.

B) The U.S. invades Afghanistan.

C) President Mohammed Daoud Khan is assassinated.

D) The Mujahideen take Kabul.

Discussion Suggestion: These chapters depict the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. As the U.S. prepares to do the same in 2021, it is instructive to consider if and how the disastrous aftermath of the Soviet withdrawal may serve as a harbinger for consequences of the U.S. withdrawal. For background, read this Q&A with New York Times Bureau Chief in Kabul Adam Nossiter, along with this article from the nonpartisan Wilson Center on the lessons the U.S. can learn from the Soviet withdrawal.

15. Why does Laila refuse to run away with Tariq after the two have sex?

A) She cannot bear the shame of their having premarital sex.

B) She knows her mother would track them down and turn them in to authorities.

C) She cannot bear to leave her father heartbroken and alone.

D) She realizes what she feels for Tariq is not love; it is merely infatuation.

16. Who saves Laila after her home is struck by a rocket?

A) Tariq

B) Mariam and Rasheed

C) Hakim and Fariba

D) Red Cross workers

17. Why does Laila decide to marry Rasheed instead of fleeing to Pakistan?

A) She falls in love with Rasheed.

B) She knows that Mariam needs her.

C) Rasheed is very wealthy.

D) She is pregnant with Tariq’s child.

18. Why does Laila cut herself with a knife at the end of Chapter 30?

A) She must bleed in order to appear a virgin.

B) She often cuts herself to cope with enormous stress.

C) She is attempting to murder Rasheed.

D) She is establishing a ritual to honor the memory of Tariq.

19. How does Rasheed humiliate Mariam in front of Laila?

A) He makes Mariam wear the burqa, even at home.

B) He calls Mariam harami.

C) He makes Laila be Mariam’s supervisor.

D) He lets the dog eat before Mariam.

20. What new information is revealed about Rasheed’s son’s death in Chapter 32?

A) Rasheed drowned his son on purpose.

B) Rasheed’s wife drowned his son on purpose.

C) The death occurred during Ramadan.

D) Rasheed was drunk when it happened.

21. Aside from the truth of Aziza’s parentage, what other secret does Laila keep from Rasheed?

A) She is stealing money from him.

B) She had an abortion.

C) She is dating another man.

D) She is slowly poisoning him.

22. How do the authorities learn of Mariam and Laila’s plan to escape Rasheed?

A) Rasheed discovers their plan and reports them himself.

B) A hotel doorman overhears them discussing their plan.

C) Wakil betrays them.

D) Their fake ID cards do not hold up to scrutiny.

23. What is the name of the guerilla force made up of young Pashtun men whose families fled to Pakistan during the Soviet War?

A) the Mujahideen

B) al-Qaeda

C) the Taliban

D) ISIS

Discussion Suggestion: Who are the Taliban? How did they form? How did they rise to power? What is their connection to the September 11th  attacks? These questions exist in the background of Hosseini’s book, but it is instructive to look to journalistic and other nonfiction sources for a more complete account of the group’s rise. The BBC published a clear and comprehensive explainer on the eve of the U.S.’s planned withdrawal of Afghanistan that may guide discussion.

24. Why is Laila unwilling to go through with aborting Rasheed’s child?

A) She is afraid of what Rasheed will do if he finds out.

B) She has seen enough killing of innocents.

C) She worries that the procedure will kill her.

D) She thinks there is a chance that the child is Tariq’s.

25. What natural disaster strikes Afghanistan in 2000, exacerbating the hardship in Kabul?

A) earthquake

B) drought

C) tornado

D) wildfire

Discussion Suggestion: From Afghanistan to Syria, drought has played a role in numerous 21st century political conflicts. Scholars have increasingly turned to the intersection of climate change and armed conflict as a paradigm for predicting and coping with outbreaks of international violence. Using this Stanford University article as a jumping-off point, discuss the growing debate over if and how much climate change influences armed conflict.

For further reading, explore this National Geographic article on how climate change may complicate peace prospects in Afghanistan in the years to come.

26. What happens when the family can no longer afford to feed Aziza?

A) Rasheed sells Aziza to human traffickers.

B) Laila gives Aziza to some kind neighbors.

C) Aziza joins the Taliban as a child soldier.

D) Aziza is taken to an orphanage.

27. How does Rasheed die?

A) Laila poisons him.

B) He drowns in the bathtub while drunk.

C) Mariam kills him with a shovel.

D) He dies of a stroke.

28. Why doesn’t Mariam accompany Laila on her escape from Kabul?

A) Mariam will claim full responsibility for Rasheed’s murder so Laila and the children can live.

B) Mariam cannot bear to leave her beloved home.

C) Mariam resents Laila for indirectly turning Mariam into a murderer.

D) Mariam has friends in Kabul that will take care of her.

29. Why is Mariam overcome by a feeling of peace prior to her execution?

A) because she is leaving the world as woman who loved and was loved herself

B) because she knows Allah will take care of her eternal soul

C) because she knows she will see Aziza again in the afterlife

D) because she believes her it is worth dying to remove a man like Rasheed from the world

30. Why does Laila grow angry at Tariq after he welcomes the American bomb strikes?

A) because she knows American intervention will only make the situation worse in the long run

B) because innocents are dying and children are being orphaned by the bomb strikes

C) because she prefers the Taliban to the Americans

D) because she knows Kabul cannot survive another round of bomb strikes

Discussion Suggestion: These chapters contain the title line, “A thousand splendid suns.” It comes from a 17th century poem by Saib Tabrizi titled “Kabul.” Read the poem here and discuss its significance in relation to Hosseini’s book. Why might Hosseini have borrowed this phrase as the title?