A Thousand Splendid Suns – Plot – Flashcards
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Herat
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In what city or village does the story initially take place?
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Praying for Mujahideen victory
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After her sons' death, Mammy becomes obsessed with...
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When they stop for namaz prayers five times a day.
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When is the only time the combatants stop fighting each other in the city of Kabul during the early 90s?
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Since Fariba refuses to leave, Laila knows she cannot leave her father alone.
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When Tariq tells Laila that his family is fleeing the county, why doesn't she go with him?
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Tariq's family is Pashtun, Laila's family is Tajik.
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Tariq's family and Laila's family are from different Afghan factions, which are they?
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Because she is pregnant.
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Why does Laila marry Rasheed?
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Tariq has died.
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What did the man tell Laila after the bomb hit her house and she was living with Rasheed and Mariam?
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He was a friend of Rasheed's who delivered the news.
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Where did the man that came to break the news to Laila come from?
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She loves it already.
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Why does Laila decide not to abort Rasheed's baby?
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Standing up to Rasheed.
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What does Mariam admire Laila for?
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He is going to kill her and Laila.
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Why does Mariam kill Rasheed?
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She killed her husband.
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Why is Mariam a hero in the jail?
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Running away from home.
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Of what crime were all the women in the jail, except Mariam, convicted?
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He was flogged and accused Naghma of seducing him.
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What was Naghma's boyfriend's punishment?
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Her education.
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According to Babi, what is the most important thing in his life after Laila's safety?
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A land mine took it off.
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How did Tariq lose his leg?
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She thought that is was "the best nation in the world, along with Afghanistan".
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What was Khala Rangmaal's attitude towards the Soviet Union?
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Pashtun
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What ethnicity is Tariq?
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President Daoud Khan's government.
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Who was blamed for Mir Akbar Khyber's murder?
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The Soviet's left Afghanistan.
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In April of 1988, what major event would take place in Afghanistan in 9 months?
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Their fathers could not join the jihad because they would have to stay home and take care of their children.
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Why were children the intended victims of the Soviet land mine campaign?
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Servant
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Mariam refuses to be Laila's...
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The man who tells Laila of Tariq's death.
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Who is Abdul Sharif?
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She gave birth to a girl who won't stop crying.
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After Laila gives birth, why is Rasheed unhappy with her?
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15
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How old is Laila when she agrees to marry Rasheed?
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Tariq's father cannot take the fighting and killing.
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Why does Tariq's family leave Kabul?
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Pakistani and Arab Islamists
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According to Rasheed, who are the real masters of Afghanistan?
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Pashtun
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Which ethnic group largely comprised the members of the Taliban?
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The names of those scheduled for punishment.
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What was announced on the Voice of Shari'a each Wednesday night?
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The man who was supposed to act as Laila and Mariam's cousin in order for them to board the bus to Peshawar.
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Who is Wakil?
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He was a communist sympathizer and a kafir (an unbeliever) who killed many Muslims.
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According to the young Talib, Najibullah was tortured and executed for...
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Mariam's
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"... A face of grievances unspoken, burdens gone unprotested, a destiny submitted to and endured." Whose face is being described?
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Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
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In January of 1994, Dotsum switched sides and joined...
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Mariam
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What will Laila name her unborn child if it is a girl?
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They help clean the hotel.
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What type of work do Laila and Tariq do in Murree?
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She uses it to help renovate the orphanage.
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What does Laila do with the money Jalil left to Mariam?
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To say one final goodbye.
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Why does Laila need to go to Herat?
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For Mammy and Babi and to see and participate in Afghanistan's new found freedom.
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Why does Laila want to return to Kabul?
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An envelope (letter), a tape of Pinocchio, and a burlap sack full of money.
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What does Jalil leave Mariam?
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Regret and Shame.
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According to Jalil's letter, what did he feel when he thought about Mariam?
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She is an illegitimate child.
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At the beginning of the novel, why doesn't Mariam live with Jalil?
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Pashtun
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What ethnicity is Rasheed?
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Kabul
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In what city does Rasheed live?
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Mariam ran away against Nana's wishes and went to see Jalil.
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Why does Nana kill herself?
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6
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How old is Mariam at the beginning of chapter 1?
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She told Mariam that everything he said was lies and that he actually thinks nothing of Mariam and Nana.
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How does Nana react after Jalil told Mariam about the pistachio tree?
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She was kicked out of Jalil's house and fired from being a housekeeper. She was then also blamed for the pregnancy.
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What happened to Nana after she became pregnant with Mariam?
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She wishes that her "father had had the stomach to sharpen one of his knives and do the honorable thing [kill Nana]."
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What does Nana wish her father had done?
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She didn't want to see Jalil and his wives around the city. She also didn't want the neighbors to say things about her and pity her.
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Why had Nana refused to live in Herat?
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She had a jinn (seizure) and people thought she was possessed.
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When Nana was fifteen, she almost got married. Why was the wedding called off?
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It was "his idea of penance".
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According to Nana, why did Jalil build her and Mariam's home instead of hiring workers?
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They milk the goats, feed the hens, collect eggs, make bread, and sew.
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What chores do Mariam and Nana do together?
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The elderly village Koran tutor who taught Mariam the Koran.
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Who is Mullah Faizullah?
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To go to school.
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What does Mariam tell Mullah Faizullah she wants?
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15
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At the beginning of chapter 5, how old is Mariam?
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She assumed that because he was a businessman, something had come up. Instead of waiting for him, she went to his house in Herat.
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What does Mariam assume when Jalil does not arrive in time [to take her to the movies], and what does she do instead of waiting for him?
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That Mariam was to be married.
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What shocking news do Jalil's wives tel Mariam at the beginning of Chapter 7?
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She acknowledges that he was ashamed of her and tells him that she never wants to see him again.
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How does Mariam respond when Jalil tells her he will visit her in Kabul?
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He spoke the Kabuli dialect of Farsi and she spoke Herati Farsi.
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Why does Mariam have difficulty understanding Rasheed?
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He thinks that their husbands have lost control of their wives and that it is embarrassing.
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What does Rasheed say about Fariba and the other women who do not wear burqas and who look him in the eye?
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That Jalil would visit her and bring presents and Nana, Jalil, and she would sit and drink tea together. Mullah Faizullah would also bring her treats.
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What does Mariam remember about Ramadan back home at Gul Daman?
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She is one of the 'modern women' and Rasheed believes that she is a gossip.
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Why does Mariam deny knowing Fariba when Rasheed asks her?
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A gun, porn, and a picture of his late wife and son.
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Mariam finds herself in Rasheed's room. What does she find when she opens the drawers of the dresser?
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They both had to witness, cope, and deal with the guilt of the deaths of people very close to them.
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Why does Mariam now feel a 'kinship' with Rasheed?
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She has a miscarriage.
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What happens to Mariam at the bathhouse?
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He thinks it's idiotic and doesn't want to bury another son.
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How does Rasheed react when Mariam suggests having a burial service for the baby?
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Of Rasheed and his shifting moods, volatile temperament, and his abuse.
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Of what does Mariam live in fear?
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7
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How many babies has Mariam miscarried?
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Fariba
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Who is Laila's mother?
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Jalil
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Who is sitting in the blue Mercedes in front of Mariam and Rasheed's house?
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They squirted her with pee. lol.
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Why does Laila wash herself thoroughly after the boys squirt the water guns at her?
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She thought that his parents had moved away for good, or another land mine had gotten to him.
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Laila worries that Tariq has been away so long. What are some of the things she suspects has happened?
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He shines his flashlight in her window.
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What sign does Laila receive that shows he is all right?
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His uncle was sick.
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Why has Tariq been away longer than anticipated?
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He beats Khadim up with his prosthetic leg.
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What happens when Laila tells Tariq about Khadim and his squirt gun?
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That her brothers died in the jihad.
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What news does the visitor in chapter 19 bring Laila and her family?
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The Bamiyan valley and its statues of the Buddhas.
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What historical landmark does Babi take Laila and Tariq to see?
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Hearing Babi talk about Mammy's laugh and how he fell in love with her.
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What causes "a wave of affection" to come over Laila?
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He does not have extreme emotions like Mammy and is able to hide his easier.
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In what way does Babi say his grief is different from Mammy's?
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Neither of them would ever want to get married unless they were forced to.
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What do Tariq and Laila say about marriage while watching the movie?
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He says, "Did you know that if you fling snot in Siberia, it's a green cicild before it hits the ground?"
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How does Tariq cut the tension during the kissing scene?
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She ended up marrying her cousin in Lahore.
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What happens to Hasina?
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She is insulted because she doesn't think anyone should ever be compared to Laila's brothers.
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Laila tries to ease Fariba's mind by telling her that Tariq is like a brother. How does Fariba react to this statement?
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Militiamen fired rockets at cars but not at taxis, so if all cars looked like taxis they wouldn't be hit.
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Why have people been spray painting their cars yellow?
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To move out of Afghanistan and to Peshawar.
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What does Mammy finally agree to?
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Her parents die in a bomb that hits her house.
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What happens to Laila's family at the end of chapter 26?
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She was taking out books that her father had said were to heavy for her.
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Why does Laila believe that she should have been in the house during the explosion?
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Laila.
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What, according to Abdul Sharif, did Tariq mostly talk about in the hospital?
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He thinks they don't care about Afghanistan and that they only used Afghanistan to win the war against the Soviets.
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What is Rasheed's attitude towards Americans?
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That Rasheed is trying to court Mariam.
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What becomes painfully clear to Mariam after dinner with Laila while she is in the kitchen?
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Yes
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What is Laila's answer to Rasheed's proposal?
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Mariam will cook and wash the dishes and Laila will do the laundry and sweeping.
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Mariam confronts Laila about both their role in the household. What rules does Mariam lay down?
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The misplacement of the long wooden spoon Mariam used to stir rice.
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What do Mariam and Laila get into a fight over?
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Because they are all boys clothes.
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Why are Aziza's clothes an issue?
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Girls clothes that she has made.
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What gift from Mariam does Laila find outside her bedroom door?
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They are both 'haramis'.
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How does Laila's secret make Mariam feel a stronger connection to Aziza?
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She is thinking about aborting her baby with Rasheed.
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Why is Laila in the bathroom with the bicycle spoke?
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Laila is in labor.
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What is wrong with Laila when Rasheed and Mariam take her to Malahai Hospital?
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All of the main hospitals only treat men.
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Why can Laila not get medical attention at the hospital when she is in labor?
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They are in massive debt and Rasheed needs to pay back the people who have loaned him money.
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Why does Rasheed suggest to Laila that they let Aziza beg on the streets?
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Zalmai's television.
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What do Laila and Mariam bury in the backyard?
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She tries to get money from him but ends up finding out that he has died.
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Why does Mariam call Jalil and what is the result of this call?
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That she is sending her to an orphanage.
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What truth has Laila not been able to tell Aziza about her 'school'?
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He would complain about how much walking to the orphanage tired him.
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How does Rasheed try and prevent Laila from visiting Aziza?
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So that the Taliban won't catch them teaching.
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Why do the children have to pull the curtains during the lessons?
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He is a doorman for the Intercontinental.
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What new job has Rasheed acquired?
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He was the man who told Laila of Tariq's death.
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Why does Mariam find the doorman at the hotel familiar?
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They have passed on.
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What does Tariq tell Laila about his parents?
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Because of his leg.
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Why did Tariq have trouble getting a job?
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She kills Rasheed.
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What does Mariam do with the shovel?
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She is going to turn herself in.
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Mariam is certain the police will eventually find out she killed Rasheed. What does she plan to do?
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When she married Rasheed.
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Mariam has to sign a document for her death sentence. When was the last time she signed a document?
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They get married.
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What is the first thing Laila and Tariq do when they arrive in Murree?
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That Shah Massoud has been murdered.
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What news does Tariq bring at the beginning of chapter 49?
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With Laila and her family contemplating the name of her unborn child.
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How does the novel end?
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For him to take her to his movie theatre and bring all of Mariam's brothers and sisters.
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What is the one thing Mariam wants for her birthday from Jalil?
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The kolba.
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Where did Mariam live for the first 15 years of her life?
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That Nana has committed suicide.
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What does Mariam find when she gets home from visiting Jalil's house?
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Herself.
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Who does Mariam blame for Nana's death?
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A burqa.
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What does Rasheed give Mariam that reinforces his belief that women are inferior to men?
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That he was a protective and kind husband.
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How did Mariam feel about Rasheed in the first few months of their marriage?
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To fight in the jihad.
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Where have Noor and Ahmad gone to?
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That the Soviets allow women much more freedom than they had under previous rulers.
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How does Babi feel about the changes in Afghan culture with respect to women since the Soviet Union took control?
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The religious duty of Muslims (in context: to fight for peace in Afghanistan).
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What is jihad?
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Giti.
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Who, of Laila's friends, died from a rocket?
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They have sex.
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Before Tariq leaves, what happens between him and Laila?
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Rasheed and Mariam.
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Who takes care of Laila after her family has died?
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He drowned in a lake.
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How did Rasheed's son die?
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Very respectfully and cordially. (Like a mercedes-benz)
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How did Rasheed treat Laila before she gave birth?
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Laila and Tariq's daughter.
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Who is Aziza?
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Money from his wallet.
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What does Laila secretly take from Rasheed?
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That Aziza is not Rasheed's child.
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What secrets does Laila reveal to Mariam?
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They attempt to run away.
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What does Laila, Mariam, and Aziza attempt to do in 1994?
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Laila and Rasheed's son.
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Who is Zalmai?
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Her lessons of the Koran.
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What special thing does Mariam pass onto Aziza?
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Beatings from the Taliban.
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What does Laila often endure in order to see Aziza?
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That he is Aziza's father.
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What important secret does Laila reveal to Tariq towards the end of their conversation?
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Murree
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Where do Tariq, Laila, and the children move to?
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That he has gone on a trip and Laila doesn't know when he will come back.
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What is Laila's response whenever Zalmai asks, "Where is Baba jan?"
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She goes to see Mullah Faizullah.
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On their journey back to Kabul where does Laila go first?
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