Chapter 1

1. What ideas/topics are introduced in the opening chapter?

2. What are your expectations based on the opening and closing lines of the chapter?

Chapter 2

1. How does the narrator introduce Hassan?

2. Describe Baba.

3. The boys have parallel lives: how are they different; how are they similar?

4. The ideas of friendship and childhood are very important in this chapter. What other idea does the author
want readers to pick up on?

5. What are your expectations based on the boys first words?

Chapter 3

1. How is Baba described in this chapter? Provide evidence from the beginning, middle, and end of the
chapter.
2. How does Baba view sins (keep this is mind for later in the book).
3. How does Amir feel about Baba in this chapter?
4. Provide two examples of how Amir doesn’t fit into Baba’s definition of a man.
5. How does Baba see Amir at the end of this chapter? Why is Baba so worried (quote the line).
Chapter 4
1. What does the death of Ali’s parent show about Afghan society?
2. How does Baba’s relationship mirror Amir’s relationship with Hassan? How is Amir’s relationship with
Hassan different than his father’s relationship with Ali?
3. Why is the engraving on the tree so significant?
4. Page 30-31 (sitting crossed legged until a harmless prank): what does this section show about the boys’
characters?
5. How does Hosseini leave no doubt that Amir has a conflicted relationship with his father?
Chapter 5
1. How has Afghanistan changed forever?
2. Who does Baba call out for when he enters the house?
3. What reason does Amir give for being happy about the coup?
4. Describe Assef (provide 3 quotations).
5. What is the irony in Assef’s speech about a true Afghan?
6. What’s the significance of Amir’s thoughts (the italics on page 44)?
7. Why is the confrontation between the boys so significant? Why does Hassan stand up to Assef?
8. What rhetorical device does Hosseini end the chapter with?

Chapter 6
1. Why is kite fighting and winter especially important to Amir?
2. What do Afghans cherish, what do they abhor?
3. Page 54, middle of the page, last 3 sentences (starts with: “if I changed my mind): what do we learn about
Amir and Baba?
4. What added understanding of the title do we get from this chapter?
5. How is Amir cruel to Hassan in this chapter; what does this exchange show about the boys’ character?
6. Pages 59 & 60 are extremely important in light of what is about to happen: what is the gist of these two
pages?
Chapter 7
1. How is Hassan a parental figure to Amir?
2. What is the significance of the memory and the dream? Why does Hosseini include them?
3. Why is the description of Eid included?

Chapter 8
1. How has the relationship between Amir and Hassan changed?
2. What is unexpected about Rahim Khan’s reaction to the retelling of the kite tournament?
3. What is the significance of the pomegranate incident?
4. Describe Assef’s parents. What gift does he give Amir?
5. What is the significance of Rahim Khan’s Homeira story?

Chapter 9
1. What gift do Ali and Hassan get Amir? Why is it meaningful?
2. What is Amir’s plan for Ali and Hassan?
3. What is Hassan’s final sacrifice for Amir?
4. What rhetorical device does Hosseini end the chapter with?

Chapter 10
1. Comment on how the author handles the passage of time? Why does he not describe the years between
Hassan’s departure and Amir’s departure of Afghanistan?
2. How do Amir and Baba handle the first truck ride? Why is this significant?
3. How has the Soviet invasion changed Afghan relations?
4. What does Baba do that’s heroic?
5. A character from the past reappears, who is this character and what has happened and happens to him?

Chapter 11
1. How does Baba adjust to America?
2. What is Baba’s greatest fear? Why is this significant?
3. How does Hassan have a presence in California?
4. What is Amir hoping to do in America? (Not school wise)
5. Who is “My Swap Meet Princess”? How is she introduced?

Chapter 12
1. What is significant about the opening of the chapter?
2. Explain how Amir goes about “courting” Soraya
3. How is gender made an issue in this chapter?
4. What are nang and namoos—why are these concepts important?
5. Why does Baba yell at Amir at the Bottom of page 105?
6. According to Amir, why is Soraya a better person than him?
Chapter 13
1. Why does Amir cry on page 182?
2. What device is used to describe Baba’s smile? Why is it a fitting comparison?
3. Discuss the bear image on page 183. What does it reveal about how Amir sees his father?
4. What troubles Amir on page 184?
5. How is Amir different from every Afghan man Soraya has met?
6. How does Amir feel about his success as a writer?
7. Explain the significance of the following line: “I wanted to be just like Baba and I wanted to be nothing like
him” (194).

Chapter 15
1. How is Rahim Khan described? What is wrong with him? Who are the other two “great” Afghan men we
have met, what has happened to them? What seems to be the symbolism?
2. Why did Afghans welcome the Taliban at first?
3. How does Hosseini describe the impact of the Taliban on Kabul?
4. What does Amir mean by the following statement: “there is only what you do and what you don’t do”
(pg.212).
5. What does Amir mean by the following statement: “The truth was no. The lie was yes. I settled for
something in between”.

Chapter 16
1. What has happened to Ali?
2. Why does Hassan take such pains to restore the house? What does he do when he finds out about Baba?
Where do he and his wife sleep, why? Why is all this significant?
3. What past character returns in this chapter? Describe this character, what is this symbolic of? How does
Hassan react to this character’s return? What does this show?
4. What is the significance of Hassan’s choice for his son?

Chapter 17
1. What does Hassan’s letter reveal about Afghanistan? Himself?
2. Why does Rahim Khan talk about Hassan after Amir has read Hassan’s letter?
3. What grand irony is revealed in this chapter?

Chapter 18
1. Why is there so much repetition of earlier conversations in this chapter?
2. Address the cliché “like father, like son”. How is it developed in this chapter?

Chapter 19
1. Why does Farid resent Amir at first? How is his criticism of Amir partially true?
2. How has Amir started to atone (make amends for past wrong doings)? His actions at the end of the chapter
remind the readers of whom? Please keep this incident in mind for the last question of chapter 22.

Chapter 20
1. What has happened to Kabul? How does Amir react?
2. What does Amir learn about his mother?
3. Is Zamen a “good man”?

Chapter 21
1. What does Amir desperately want to see from his past? Why does he climb the hill to the cemetery?
2. When Farid says: “Nothing that you remember has survived”, how does Amir reply, why is this significant?
3. How is the tension built up prior to the executions?
4. Why does Hosseini include the description of the two separate trucks?

Chapter 22
1. Why is it important that Amir notice the track marks on the Talib’s arm?
2. How comes back from Amir’s past? Who does he justify the stoning at Ghazi stadium?
3. What does Amir say that surprises his nemesis? How is that like Baba?
4. What difference does it make that it is the man from question #2 that Amir must negotiate with?
5. This chapter and chapter seven define Amir; how does this chapter define Amir’s identity?
6. Explain the irony Amir feels during the fight?
7. By the end of this section in the novel, there are many repeated/parallel scenes (Q#2 from chapter 19 is an
example). List them and explain their significance.
Chapter 23
1. Why does this chapter open with so many short sentences?
2. What’s the significance of Amir’s bear dream?
3. Which of Amir’s injuries is most symbolic?
4. What’s your reaction to R. Khan’s letter?
5. What’s the significance of Amir’s dreams during the ride to Islamabad?

Chapter 24
1. What is the significance of Amir’s $2000+ gift?
2. Explain the significance of the following quotation: “Father used to say it’s wrong to hurt even bad people.
Because they don’t know any better, and because bad people sometimes become good”.
3. How does Hosseini end the chapter (from the bottom of 359-361), what’s the rhetorical device?

Chapter 25
1. What is the significance of Amir praying?
2. Although Sohrab lives, he’s not unscathed. What happens to him?
3. Why does the thought of Baba feeling Hassan is his true son not cause Amir pain?
4. How has Amir become the man Baba always wanted him to become?
5. How does Sohrab adjust to life in America?
5. Explain the symbolism/significance of the ending.