Khaled Hosseini

Khaled Hosseini Study question

Sea Prayer

Sea Prayer MCQs

The Kite Runner

The Kite Runner MCQs

A Thousand Splendid Suns

And the Mountains Echoed

And the Mountains Echoed MCQs

Facts about Khaled Hosseini

➾ At age five, while living in Iran, Hosseini taught the Hazara man who worked as the family cook how to read and write.

➾ Hosseini’s family returned to Kabul in 1973, the historic year Afghanistan officially became a republic.

➾ Following the 1978 coup and Soviet occupation, his family sought political asylum in the U.S. instead of returning to Kabul from Paris.

➾ Before becoming a novelist, Hosseini earned an M.D. in 1993 and entered private practice as a full-fledged internist after completing his residency at Cedars-Sinai.

➾ He famously started writing his debut novel, The Kite Runner, at 4:00 am daily before heading to work at his medical practice.

➾ Hosseini only transitioned to writing full-time in 2004, a year after the publication of The Kite Runner.

➾ Upon returning to Afghanistan for the first time in twenty-seven years in 2003, he was disturbed to find the situation far worse than his own fictional accounts.

➾ Hosseini expressed shame over his privileged escape, stating he struggled with his freedom and felt he “should have suffered more”.

➾ His “Western sensibility” combined with his separation from Afghanistan helped bring the faces of the country to the world’s attention through his fiction.

➾ The sight of women wearing burkas during his 2003 visit inspired the central themes of his second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns.

➾ Hosseini was appointed as a goodwill envoy for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in 2006 due to the focus his novel brought to the refugee crisis.

Khaled Hosseini MCQs

1. When and where was Khaled Hosseini born?

A. May 4, 1965, Tehran, Iran
B. March 4, 1965, Kabul, Afghanistan
C. March 4, 1965, San Jose, USA
D. May 4, 1965, Paris, France

B. March 4, 1965, Kabul, Afghanistan
He was born in Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan.

2. What was the profession of Hosseini’s father?

A. High school teacher
B. Physician
C. Diplomat for the Afghan Foreign Ministry
D. UNHCR official

C. Diplomat for the Afghan Foreign Ministry
His father’s diplomatic career led the family to live in Iran and France during Hosseini’s childhood.

3. What subject did Hosseini’s mother teach in high school?

A. Biology and History
B. Farsi and English
C. History and Mathematics
D. Farsi and History

D. Farsi and History
His mother was a high school teacher in Kabul.

4. How many siblings did Khaled Hosseini have?

A. He was the youngest of two
B. He was the oldest of three
C. He was the oldest of five children
D. He was the middle child of seven

C. He was the oldest of five children
He has four younger siblings.

5. To which city did Hosseini’s family first move from Kabul when he was five years old?

A. Paris, France
B. San Jose, California
C. Tehran, Iran
D. Herat, Afghanistan

C. Tehran, Iran
His father was assigned to the Afghan embassy in Tehran in 1970.

6. In which historic year did Hosseini’s family return to Kabul, marking Afghanistan becoming a republic?

A. 1970
B. 1973
C. 1976
D. 1978

B. 1973
They returned in 1973, the year Mohammad Daoud Khan overthrew King Zahir Shah.

7. When did the Hosseini family relocate to Paris, following his father’s diplomatic post?

A. 1973
B. 1976
C. 1978
D. 1980

B. 1976
His father was posted to the Afghan embassy in Paris in 1976.

8. Why did the Hosseini family seek political asylum in the United States instead of returning to Kabul from Paris?

A. The family faced economic hardship
B. The PDPA seized control and the Soviets occupied Afghanistan
C. Hosseini wanted to study medicine in the US
D. His father resigned from the Foreign Ministry

B. The PDPA seized control and the Soviets occupied Afghanistan
The Saur Revolution (1978) and subsequent Soviet invasion (1979) made it unsafe for the diplomat’s family to return.

9. In which American city did the Hosseini family settle after receiving political asylum?

A. Los Angeles, California
B. Santa Clara, California
C. San Jose, California
D. San Diego, California

C. San Jose, California
They arrived in San Jose in September 1980.

10. Which university did Hosseini attend for his undergraduate degree in Biology?

A. University of California-San Diego
B. Cedars-Sinai hospital
C. Santa Clara University
D. Harvard University

C. Santa Clara University
He attended Santa Clara University, located near San Jose.

11. In what year did Hosseini receive his bachelor’s degree in Biology?

A. 1984
B. 1988
C. 1993
D. 1996

B. 1988
He graduated from Santa Clara University in 1988.

12. At which institution did Hosseini earn his M.D. in 1993?

A. Santa Clara University
B. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
C. University of California-San Diego’s School of Medicine
D. Kabul Medical University

C. University of California-San Diego’s School of Medicine
He pursued his medical degree at UCSD School of Medicine.

13. Where did Hosseini complete his medical residency, making him a full-fledged doctor by 1996?

A. Cedars-Sinai hospital of Los Angeles
B. A hospital in San Jose
C. University of California, San Diego
D. A Parisian clinic

A. Cedars-Sinai hospital of Los Angeles
He completed his residency in internal medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

14. What type of physician did Hosseini become after his residency?

A. Surgeon
B. Internist
C. Pediatrician
D. Psychiatrist

B. Internist
He specialized in internal medicine.

15. When did Hosseini begin writing his first novel, The Kite Runner?

A. 1996
B. 2001
C. 2003
D. 2004

B. 2001
He started writing the novel in March 2001.

16. What was Hosseini doing professionally while he started writing The Kite Runner?

A. He was a full-time author
B. He was a practicing physician
C. He was a goodwill envoy
D. He was in residency training

B. He was a practicing physician
He famously wrote the novel in the early mornings before going to his medical practice.

17. When was Hosseini’s first novel, The Kite Runner, published?

A. 2001
B. 2003
C. 2007
D. 2013

B. 2003
The Kite Runner was published in 2003.

18. What is Khaled Hosseini primarily known?

A. His medical breakthroughs
B. His vivid depictions of Afghanistan
C. His diplomatic service
D. His Persian poetry

B. His vivid depictions of Afghanistan
His novels are celebrated for bringing the culture, history, and struggles of Afghanistan to a global audience.

19. What genre is Khaled Hosseini known for?

A. Poet
B. Historian
C. Novelist
D. Playwright

C. Novelist
He is internationally recognized for his three published novels.

20. What is the name of the protagonist and narrator of The Kite Runner?

A. Hassan
B. Mariam
C. Amir
D. Daoud Khan

C. Amir
The story is told from the perspective of Amir, a Pashtun boy growing up in Kabul.

21. By May 2007, The Kite Runner had been published in how many countries (approximately)?

A. Five
B. Eighteen
C. Thirty-eight
D. Over fifty

C. Thirty-eight
The novel achieved immense international success and translation.

22. Which neighborhood of Kabul is mentioned as the setting for parts of The Kite Runner?

A. Tehran District
B. Wazir Akbar Khan
C. San Jose Suburb
D. Qala-e-Fathullah

B. Wazir Akbar Khan
Amir grows up in this relatively affluent neighborhood of Kabul.

23. When did Hosseini return to Afghanistan for the first time after 27 years?

A. 1980
B. 1993
C. 2003
D. 2007

C. 2003
He made his first visit back shortly after the publication of The Kite Runner.

24. What was Hosseini’s reaction upon visiting Afghanistan in 2003?

A. He was pleased to see development
B. He was disturbed by the terrible situation
C. He felt instantly at home
D. He found it unchanged

B. He was disturbed by the terrible situation
He was shocked by the devastation caused by years of war and Taliban rule.

25. What did Hosseini state saved him and his family from suffering under the Soviets and the Taliban?

A. Their strong religious faith
B. His father’s diplomatic immunity
C. A combination of luck and material privilege
D. Their immediate return to Kabul

C. A combination of luck and material privilege
He acknowledged that his family’s ability to leave and seek asylum was a privilege not available to most Afghans.

26. What feeling did Hosseini tell Time Magazine he struggled with regarding his freedom?

A. Pride in his achievements
B. Shame, feeling he should have suffered more
C. Disgust at the government
D. Relief that his family was safe

B. Shame, feeling he should have suffered more
He expressed a form of survivor’s guilt, feeling ashamed of his relatively easy life compared to those left behind.

27. What combination allowed Hosseini’s fiction to bring the world’s attention to Afghanistan?

A. His medical knowledge and writing skill
B. His fame and wealth
C. His separation from his homeland and his “Western sensibility”
D. His father’s contacts and his detailed research

C. His separation from his homeland and his “Western sensibility”
His perspective as an Afghan emigrant, able to bridge the gap for Western readers, was crucial to his success.

28. What was the critical response to The Kite Runner?

A. Uniformly negative due to weak storytelling
B. It was praised for storytelling but dismissed for melodramatic elements
C. It received no critical notice initially
D. It was only published after extensive revision

B. It was praised for storytelling but dismissed for melodramatic elements
While many praised its narrative power, some critics found aspects of the plot contrived or overly sentimental.

29. How did The Kite Runner initially gain wide popularity?

A. Through a major film release
B. Through readers’ word-of-mouth praise
C. Through extensive advertising campaigns
D. Through academic endorsements

B. Through readers’ word-of-mouth praise
Its popularity grew organically, particularly through book clubs recommending it.

30. When was Hosseini’s second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, published?

A. 2003
B. May 2007
C. 2013
D. 2001

B. May 2007
His highly anticipated second novel was published in 2007.

31. What is the central focus of A Thousand Splendid Suns?

A. Relationships between brothers
B. Relationships between men
C. Relationships between women
D. The history of kite fighting

C. Relationships between women
The novel tells the intertwined stories of two Afghan women, Mariam and Laila.

32. What inspired Hosseini’s second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns?

A. Stories he heard from his father
B. His observations of women wearing burkas during his 2003 visit
C. A short story he wrote in high school
D. A specific political event in 1979

B. His observations of women wearing burkas during his 2003 visit
Seeing women shrouded in burkas during his trip profoundly affected him and sparked the idea for the novel.

33. What kind of adaptations of The Kite Runner appeared in 2007?

A. Radio and television serials
B. Comic book and video game
C. Film and theater
D. Opera and musical

C. Film and theater
A major motion picture directed by Marc Forster and a stage play adaptation were released in 2007.

34. What caused Hosseini to turn to writing full-time in 2004?

A. He retired from medicine due to age
B. The prompt success of The Kite Runner
C. His appointment as a diplomat
D. His desire to travel

B. The prompt success of The Kite Runner
The overwhelming success of his first novel allowed him to leave his medical career in December 2004.

35. What humanitarian role has Hosseini held since 2006?

A. Ambassador to France
B. Spokesperson for the Taliban
C. Goodwill envoy to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
D. Chairman of the PDPA

C. Goodwill envoy to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
His work helps raise awareness about the plight of refugees globally.

36. The appointment as a goodwill envoy was brought on by the focus The Kite Runner brought to what issue?

A. The plight of Afghan physicians
B. The continuing Afghan refugee crisis
C. The need for educational reform
D. The history of kite fighting

B. The continuing Afghan refugee crisis
The novel’s portrayal of Afghan refugees resonated with the mission of the UNHCR.

37. What is the name of Hosseini’s third novel chronologically?

A. The Kite Runner
B. A Thousand Splendid Suns
C. And the Mountains Echoed
D. The Kabul Bazaar

C. And the Mountains Echoed
This was his third novel, published in 2013.

38. What is the focus of the novel ‘And the Mountains Echoed’ (2013)?

A. A friendship between two men
B. The relationship between two wives
C. A brother and sister separated by adoption
D. The life of a diplomat

C. A brother and sister separated by adoption
The novel spans multiple generations and continents, tracing the impact of this separation.

39. In And the Mountains Echoed, in which decade does the separation of the siblings occur?

A. 1970s
B. 1980s
C. 1950s
D. 1990s

C. 1950s
The initial event that sets the multi-generational story in motion occurs in 1952.

40. What is the reason for Hosseini’s fame, as suggested by Time Magazine?

A. He is one of the world’s best doctors
B. He is almost certainly the most famous Afghan in the world
C. He is known for revolutionary political views
D. He successfully returned to Afghanistan

B. He is almost certainly the most famous Afghan in the world
His international bestselling novels have made him a globally recognized figure representing Afghanistan.

41. What type of atmosphere characterized Kabul during Hosseini’s childhood?

A. Strictly traditional and isolated
B. A cosmopolitan city mixing Western and Afghan culture
C. A war-torn, desolate landscape
D. A place lacking in literature and art

B. A cosmopolitan city mixing Western and Afghan culture
He remembers pre-war Kabul as a thriving, progressive city with cinemas, universities, and cultural exchange.

42. Which event in 1979/1980 made returning to Kabul impossible for the Hosseini family?

A. A massive earthquake
B. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
C. A financial collapse
D. A change in the diplomatic mission

B. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
The invasion in December 1979 solidified the communist government’s control and led to widespread conflict, preventing their return.

43. What did Hosseini teach a Hazara man working as a cook for the family while they were in Iran?

A. How to drive a car
B. How to read and write
C. How to cook French cuisine
D. The principles of biology

B. How to read and write
This childhood experience influenced the relationship between Amir and Hassan (a Hazara) in The Kite Runner.

44. What kind of literature was Khaled Hosseini already reading by the time his family was in Iran (around 1970)?

A. Medical textbooks and journals
B. Persian poetry and American novels
C. Only political manifestos
D. Only children’s picture books

B. Persian poetry and American novels
His childhood exposure to both Eastern and Western literature shaped his literary sensibilities.

45. Which political event occurred in 1973, shortly after the Hosseini family returned to Kabul?

A. The Soviet invasion
B. The overthrow of King Zahir Shah by Mohammad Daoud Khan
C. The rise of the Taliban
D. The publication of The Kite Runner

B. The overthrow of King Zahir Shah by Mohammad Daoud Khan
This coup d’état ended the monarchy and established the Republic of Afghanistan.

46. How can Hosseini’s devotion to Afghanistan be seen in, besides his writing?

A. His continuing medical practice
B. His personal investment in local businesses
C. His activism and role as a UNHCR goodwill envoy
D. His role as a history teacher

C. His activism and role as a UNHCR goodwill envoy
His humanitarian work demonstrates his ongoing commitment to the Afghan people and refugees.

47. In The Kite Runner, what are the respective ethnicities of the protagonist, Amir, and his friend, Hassan?

A. Both are Pashtun
B. Both are Hazara
C. Amir is Hazara, and Hassan is Pashtun
D. Amir is Pashtun, and Hassan is Hazara

D. Amir is Pashtun, and Hassan is Hazara
The ethnic and social differences between the dominant Pashtuns and the historically oppressed Hazaras are central to the novel’s conflicts.

48. What is the central theme symbolized by the act of kite fighting in The Kite Runner?

A. Childhood innocence and joy
B. Political conflict and warfare
C. Betrayal and the subsequent quest for redemption
D. The friendship between two boys from different social classes

C. Betrayal and the subsequent quest for redemption
The kite tournament represents both the height of Amir’s childhood happiness and the moment of his profound betrayal of Hassan, setting up the novel’s main arc.

49. The Kite Runner centers around relationships between men; A Thousand Splendid Suns centers around relationships between whom?

A. Children and parents
B. Women
C. Servants and masters
D. Soldiers

B. Women
Hosseini explicitly stated he wanted his second novel to focus on the experiences and bonds between Afghan women.

50. Which of Hosseini’s following works is the latest published novel?

A. The Kite Runner
B. A Thousand Splendid Suns
C. And the Mountains Echoed
D. Farsi and History

C. And the Mountains Echoed (2013)
Published in 2013, this is his most recent full-length novel to date.

A Thousand Splendid Suns MCQs

1. What term did Nana use for Mariam after she broke the tea set?

A. Clumsy little girl
B. Jalil’s little flower
C. Clumsy little harami
D. An unwanted thing

C. Clumsy little harami.
Nana called Mariam a “clumsy little harami” (bastard) after she shattered her mother’s treasured Chinese tea set.

2. What did Nana tell Mariam was the only skill a woman needs?

A. To be accepted
B. Tahamul (Endure)
C. To have beauty
D. To find a home

B. Tahamul (Endure).
Nana taught Mariam that the one essential skill for a woman like them was tahamul, meaning to endure hardships.

3. Why was Nana living in the remote kolba outside Gul Daman?

A. She was exiled
B. She feared the jinn
C. To hide her disgrace
D. She liked solitude

C. To hide her disgrace.
Nana refused to live in Herat or her father’s house, preferring a remote spot where neighbours wouldn’t stare.

4. What did Jalil often call Mariam when he visited?

A. Bastard child
B. Little flower
C. My little weed
D. An unwanted thing

B. Little flower.
Jalil affectionately referred to Mariam as his “little flower” and often told her stories about Herat.

5. What was the primary reason Mariam was restless and preoccupied on Thursdays?

A. Her cooking duties
B. Waiting for Jalil
C. Fear of Nana’s fits
D. Doing her lessons

B. Waiting for Jalil.
Mariam felt restless on Thursdays because that was the day her father, Jalil, would visit her at the kolba.

6. Jalil told Mariam that Herat was once the cradle of what?

A. Persian culture
B. Afghan warfare
C. Daoud Khan’s rule
D. Islamic faith

A. Persian culture.
Jalil told Mariam that Herat, where she was born, had historically been the cradle of Persian culture.

7. What specific building did Jalil own that Mariam longed to see?

A. A grand mosque
B. A beautiful orchard
C. The city bazaar
D. A cinema

D. A cinema.
Jalil owned a cinema in Herat, which he described to Mariam, detailing its tiled façade and balcony seats.

8. Mariam first learned of the word “harami” after breaking which item?

A. A porcelain bowl
B. A teacup piece
C. The sugar bowl
D. A small mirror

C. The sugar bowl.
The piece that slipped from Mariam’s fingers and shattered was the dragon-decorated porcelain sugar bowl.

9. Who suggested the clearing location where Mariam and Nana lived?

A. Jalil’s youngest wife
B. Nana’s cousin
C. Jalil’s eldest son
D. Mullah Faizullah

C. Jalil’s eldest son.
Muhsin, Jalil’s eldest son by his first wife, Khadija, was the one who suggested the clearing location.

10. What was Mullah Faizullah’s job in the village of Gul Daman?

A. Village arbab
B. Stone carver
C. Koran tutor
D. Travelling merchant

C. Koran tutor.
Mullah Faizullah was the eldèrly village Koran tutor, or akhund, who taught Mariam her prayers and how to read.

11. Why did Mariam become envious of the swallows she watched from the lookout?

A. They flew away
B. They had been to Herat
C. They were free birds
D. They ignored her

B. They had been to Herat.
Mariam was envious because the birds had flown over Herat’s bazaars and mosques, something she yearned to do.

12. What was Mariam’s motivation for demanding to go to the cinema for her fifteenth birthday?

A. To see a cartoon
B. To see Jalil’s house
C. To meet her siblings
D. To defy Nana

C. To meet her siblings.
Mariam demanded Jalil take her, and also invite her brothers and sisters, wanting them all to go together.

13. What was Nana’s ultimate reaction when Mariam left to see Jalil in Herat?

A. She begged and pleaded
B. She laughed mockingly
C. She had a violent fit
D. She silently waited

A. She begged and pleaded.
Nana tried guilt, saying, “I’ll die if you go. The jinn will come,” begging Mariam to stay.

14. How did Mariam first learn that Jalil was ashamed of her?

A. Nana told her so
B. Jalil’s wives yelled
C. Jalil hid in his house
D. She read his diary

C. Jalil hid in his house.
Mariam realized Jalil was ashamed when he refused to see her, hiding upstairs while she waited outside his house.

15. How did Nana kill herself after Mariam left to see Jalil?

A. She cut her wrists
B. She drowned in the stream
C. She swallowed her tongue
D. She hanged herself

D. She hanged herself.
Mariam found Nana hanging from a rope attached to a high branch of the weeping willow.

16. How old was Mariam when she was married off?

A. Twelve years old
B. Fifteen years old
C. Nineteen years old
D. Twenty-two years old

B. Fifteen years old.
Jalil’s wives noted that Mariam was fifteen, which they declared a good, solid marrying age for a girl.

17. Who was the suitor proposed by Jalil and his wives?

A. Abdul Sharif
B. Mullah Faizullah
C. Rasheed
D. Muhsin

C. Rasheed.
Jalil and his wives informed Mariam that her suitor was a shoemaker from Kabul named Rasheed.

18. How did Mariam try to ensure they knew she did not consent to the marriage?

A. She tried to run away
B. She physically fought them
C. She refused to answer three times
D. She yelled “No” repeatedly

C. She refused to answer three times.
During the nikka ceremony, Mariam stayed quiet when asked if she accepted Rasheed as her husband.

19. What profession did Rasheed have in Kabul?

A. Cinema owner
B. Shoemaker
C. Teacher
D. Stone carver

B. Shoemaker.
Rasheed was a shoemaker who owned his own shop in Kabul, making shoes for elite clients.

20. What item did Rasheed first bring Mariam from Kabul?

A. A new pair of shoes
B. A dark maroon shawl
C. A sky blue burqa
D. Freshly cut roses

C. A sky blue burqa.
Rasheed showed Mariam a sky-blue burqa, insisting that she wear it outside to protect his honour.

21. What was the main benefit Mariam found in wearing the burqa?

A. She could hide her face
B. It felt comfortable
C. It gave her anonymity
D. It pleased Rasheed

C. It gave her anonymity.
Mariam found the burqa comforting because it offered anonymity, freeing her from scrutinizing eyes.

22. What did Mariam find in Rasheed’s top dresser drawer besides a gun?

A. Old family photos
B. Pornographic magazines
C. Mariam’s old ring
D. His liquor bottles

B. Pornographic magazines.
Mariam found several magazines featuring nude women, which conflicted with Rasheed’s talk of honor and propriety.

23. What emotion did Mariam feel for Rasheed after finding the picture of his son, Yunus?

A. Intense pity
B. Disgust
C. Kinship and sorrow
D. Renewed love

C. Kinship and sorrow.
After seeing his deceased son Yunus’s picture, Mariam felt sorrow for Rasheed and a sense of kinship.

24. How did Rasheed punish Mariam for the under-salted rice?

A. He struck her head
B. He made her clean
C. He forced her to chew pebbles
D. He locked her outside

C. He forced her to chew pebbles.
Rasheed grabbed Mariam’s jaw and shoved cold, hard pebbles into her mouth, forcing her to chew them.

25. What country did Babi tell Laila they were all Afghans, despite ethnic differences?

A. Iran
B. Afghanistan
C. Pashtunistan
D. Russia

B. Afghanistan.
Babi believed that arguments over ethnicity (Tajik, Pashtun, Hazara) were dangerous nonsense, stating, “We’re all Afghans”.

26. Laila’s brothers, Ahmad and Noor, left Kabul to fight in which conflict?

A. Against the Taliban
B. Against the Mujahideen
C. Against the Soviets
D. Against Daoud Khan

C. Against the Soviets.
Ahmad and Noor left to join Commander Massoud’s forces and fight the jihad against the Soviet invaders in 1980.

27. Where did Babi take Laila and Tariq to see the ancient Buddha statues?

A. Herat
B. Bamiyan Valley
C. Panjshir
D. Kabul Zoo

B. Bamiyan Valley.
Babi took Laila and Tariq on a day trip to the Bamiyan Valley to see the colossal Buddha statues.

28. How did Tariq retaliate against the boy (Khadim) who humiliated Laila with a water gun?

A. He threatened him with a gun
B. He reported him to the police
C. He beat him with his prosthetic leg
D. He paid him back later

C. He beat him with his prosthetic leg.
Tariq charged Khadim, using his unstrapped prosthetic leg raised high over his shoulder like a sword.

29. After the Soviet withdrawal treaty was signed, how did Mammy initially react?

A. She was delighted
B. She remained pessimistic
C. She planned a party
D. She started packing

B. She remained pessimistic.
Mammy shrugged, saying the communist regime was staying and the war would continue until the Mujahideen won outright.

30. What happened to Laila’s friend, Giti, in June 1992?

A. She married her suitor
B. She was killed by a rocket
C. She fled to Iran
D. She was abducted

B. She was killed by a rocket.
Giti was walking home from school when a stray rocket struck her, killing her instantly.

31. What was Laila’s primary reason for refusing to leave Kabul with Tariq?

A. She feared his parents
B. She loved Rasheed
C. She couldn’t leave Babi
D. She had nowhere to go

C. She couldn’t leave Babi.
Laila felt obligated to stay for Babi, saying, “I’m all he has left. His heart couldn’t take it either”.

32. What news ultimately convinced Mammy to agree to leave Kabul with Laila and Babi?

A. Babi had a heart attack
B. Laila was injured
C. Rasheed attacked them
D. A bullet nearly hit Laila

D. A bullet nearly hit Laila.
A bullet zipped past Laila’s ear, leaving a hole in the gate, which finally shocked Mammy into agreeing to leave.

33. Who did Laila tell the police officer was her relative, which turned out to be a lie?

A. Mariam
B. Tariq
C. Wakil
D. Sayeed

C. Wakil.
Laila claimed the young man, Wakil, who bought her tickets was her cousin, a lie he later confessed.

34. How did Mariam react when Rasheed announced his plans to marry Laila?

A. She begged him not to
B. She attacked Laila
C. She accepted passively
D. She left the house

A. She begged him not to.
Mariam pleaded, “I don’t want this,” and said, “I won’t allow it,” but Rasheed ignored her protests.

35. What was Laila’s key motivation for marrying Rasheed despite her hatred for him?

A. Rasheed had money
B. To care for her father
C. To protect Tariq’s baby
D. She needed a home

C. To protect Tariq’s baby.
Laila married Rasheed to provide sanctuary and protection for Tariq’s baby, which she had conceived before he left.

36. When Mariam and Laila were arguing, what did Laila call Mariam that hurt her?

A. Old and ugly
B. Sad, miserable woman
C. Harami
D. Stingy with words

B. Sad, miserable woman.
Laila called Mariam “a sad, miserable woman,” which caused Mariam to flinch before retaliating by calling Laila a “whore”.

37. Mariam compared Rasheed to what kind of car in front of Laila?

A. A shiny Benz
B. A red Roadmaster
C. A sturdy Volga
D. A military jeep

C. A sturdy Volga.
Rasheed told Laila that Mariam, if she were a car, would be a sturdy but basic Volga.

38. What activity led to the first wordless moment of connection between Mariam and Laila?

A. Sharing a blanket
B. Drinking tea outside
C. Cleaning the house
D. Protecting Aziza

B. Drinking tea outside.
After Laila defended Mariam, they sat outside drinking tea and sharing halwa, forging a bond.

39. What was the primary reason Rasheed made Laila leave Aziza at the orphanage?

A. To teach Laila a lesson
B. To escape the Taliban
C. He lost his job
D. Financial hardship (drought)

D. Financial hardship (drought).
Rasheed’s shop burned down, leading to financial destitution exacerbated by the drought, forcing the decision.

40. What historical event did the Taliban use as justification for blowing up the Bamiyan Buddhas?

A. An act of war
B. Idolatry and sin
C. Historical preservation
D. Economic necessity

B. Idolatry and sin.
The Taliban planted TNT in the Buddhas, demolishing them because they called the statues objects of idolatry and sin.

41. Why did the Taliban beat Laila when she tried to visit Aziza at the orphanage?

A. She was wearing makeup
B. She was travelling without a mahram
C. She was arguing loudly
D. She was wearing bright colours

B. She was travelling without a mahram.
Laila was frequently stopped and beaten by the Taliban because she was a woman travelling alone without a male escort (mahram).

42. How did Laila describe her son Zalmai’s behaviour around his father, Rasheed?

A. Reserved and quiet
B. Slyly collaborative
C. Always defiant
D. Fearful and hesitant

B. Slyly collaborative.
Zalmai and Rasheed grinned like people sharing a secret, playing private games that excluded Laila and Mariam.

43. What was the “great, damning lie” Laila told Zalmai after Rasheed’s death?

A. Rasheed was in prison
B. Mariam had fled
C. Rasheed was on a trip
D. Mariam was his mother

C. Rasheed was on a trip.
Laila told Zalmai that his Baba jan had “gone away” on a trip, initiating the great lie necessary for their survival.

44. What news about Tariq finally proved Rasheed’s prior story of his death was a lie?

A. He called on the phone
B. He knocked on the door
C. He sent a postcard
D. Laila saw him shopping

B. He knocked on the door.
After Rasheed returned from work, Laila saw Tariq standing at the front door, proving the death story was fabricated.

45. How did Mariam ultimately kill Rasheed?

A. Stabbed him with a knife
B. Shot him with a gun
C. Strangled him with a belt
D. Hit him with a shovel

D. Hit him with a shovel.
Mariam swung a shovel, hitting Rasheed across the temple, killing him as he was choking Laila.

46. Why did Mariam insist on surrendering to the Taliban rather than fleeing with Laila and Tariq?

A. She was too old
B. She wanted to die
C. To protect Laila and the children
D. She felt immense guilt

C. To protect Laila and the children.
Mariam reasoned that if they were all caught, Laila and Tariq would suffer too, jeopardising the children’s welfare.

47. When Mariam was tried, the middle, sickly judge admitted he was worried about what?

A. The young child Zalmai
B. His day of reckoning
C. Mariam’s punishment
D. The war is ending

B. His day of reckoning.
The judge admitted that he was worried about the day God summoned him and asked why he didn’t obey His laws.

48. What gift did Jalil leave for Mariam with Hamza before he died in 1987?

A. A gold ring
B. A tin box
C. A photo album
D. His Buick

B. A tin box.
Hamza gave Laila an olive-green tin box that Jalil had entrusted to Mullah Faizullah for Mariam.

49. What was the contents of the burlap sack found inside Jalil’s tin box?

A. Mariam’s childhood toys
B. Jalil’s old letters
C. A sum of money
D. Nana’s tea set

C. A sum of money.
Inside the tin box, Laila found an envelope (a letter), a videocassette (Pinocchio), and a burlap sack filled with money.

50. Where does Laila decide that Mariam is never far from her presence?

A. In the Quran’s words
B. In her own heart
C. In the Herat cemetery
D. In the Babaloo prayers

B. In her own heart.
Laila realises Mariam shines with the “bursting radiance of a thousand suns” in her heart and her children.

Brief Overview

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a novel by Khaled Hosseini, first published in 2007. The novel focuses on the intertwined, tragic lives of two Afghan women, Mariam and Laila, set against three decades of war and political turmoil in Afghanistan.

The novel begins with Mariam, who lives near Herat. Her mother, Nana, calls her a harami, meaning an unwanted child. Mariam is later forced into an arranged marriage with Rasheed, a much older, often abusive shoemaker from Kabul.

The second main character is Laila, who grows up loving her friend, Tariq. After Laila’s parents die in a rocket attack, a man falsely tells Laila that Tariq is dead. Laila, who is secretly pregnant with Tariq’s child, marries Rasheed to protect her baby.

Laila and Mariam slowly move past their rivalry and become close friends. Rasheed is cruel to both women, and they live under the strict oppression of the Taliban. When Rasheed loses his job, the family suffers extreme hunger. Laila is forced to send her daughter, Aziza, to an orphanage so she can be fed.

Tariq returns, proving Rasheed lied about his death. When Rasheed discovers this, he attacks Laila violently. To save Laila, Mariam kills Rasheed with a shovel. Mariam chooses to take the blame and confesses to the Taliban to protect Laila and Tariq.

Mariam is then executed. Laila, Tariq, and the children eventually marry and return to Kabul to start a hopeful new life.