Kite Runner Guide - Students

The Kite
Runner
Khaled Hosseini
Character Identification Form

Discussion / Reading Comprehension Questions
Reading Check Quizzes
Major Tests
Essay Questions
Created by Edie Parrott

If you have questions about this assignment or are looking for materials
on other literary works, please contact me: EdieParrott@etcmail.com
Name ________________________________ Date _________________________
The Kite Runner: Characters

Directions: Identify and describe the following characters as you meet them in the book.
Note changes that characters experience.
Amir
Rahim Khan
Hassan
Ali
Baba
Assef
The Kite Runner Page 2

Ahmed
Kamal
Soraya
General Teheri
Khala Jamila
Farid
Zaman
Sohrab

Name _________________________________ Date _________________________
The Kite Runner Discussion Questions

Khaled Hosseini
All page numbers are from

Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York: Riverhead, 2005.
Chapter 1: December 2001
1. Describe the narrator of the book.
2. Whose voice whispers to the narrator and what does it say?
3. During his phone call, what had Rahim Khan told the narrator he must do, and what were
his final words to the narrator?
4. Find examples of figurative language that the author uses in the opening chapter of the
novel.
Chapter 2
5. Describe Hassan.
6. Compare and contrast the narrators house to Hassans house.
7. Describe Hassans mother and what happened to her after Hassans birth.
8. Describe the scene with Hassan and the narrator when they take the forbidden shortcut
through the military barracks. What happens and how do the two boys respond?
9. Describe Ali.
10. The narrator finds a book that explains the main problems between the Hazaras and
Pashtuns. Explain the problem and tell how the prejudice at least partially explains the
difference in the lives between the narrator and Hassan.
11. Explain how Hassan and Amir became such close friends.
12. Explain the quotation from page 8: People say that eyes are windows to the soul.

Chapter 3
13. Describe Baba.
14. Explain the gift that Baba builds for the community. What does this tell the reader about
Baba?
15. Amir lies to his father and tells him that Hassan is ill. Why does he do this and what does
this tell the reader about Amir?
16. Explain this quotation from page 15: The problem, of course, was that Baba saw the
world in black and white. And he got to decide what was black and what was white. You
cant love a person who lives that way without fearing him too. Maybe even hating him a
little.
17. Amir is confused by conflicting religious views between his home and the school.
Explain.
18. According to the father, what is the only sin? Explain what he means.
19. Explain the pivotal experience from Babas childhood.
20. In what skill/talent does Amir excel? Explain.
21. Why is Amirs father so concerned about his son? How does Rahim Khan respond to
Babas concerns?
22. Explain the quotation from page 22: A boy who wont stand up for himself becomes a
man who cant stand up to anything.
23. How do you think Amir must have felt as he overheard this discussion between his father
and Rahim Khan?
Chapter 4
24. Explain the circumstances of Alis adoption.
25. Compare Amir and Hassans relationship to the relationship of their fathers.
26. Explain the quotation on page 25: Never mind any of those things. Because history isnt
easy to overcome. Neither is religion. In the end, I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I
was Sunni and he was Shia, and nothing was ever going to change that. Nothing.
27. Describe some of the adventures that Amir and Hassan experience together. What do
these experiences tell us about Afghanistan during Amirs childhood? How are these
experiences different from Afghanistan today?

28. Explain how the author uses the concepts of illiteracy and literacy to describe the
differences in the two boys.
29. Explain the significance of the story about the word imbecile.
30. Describe the scene when Amir writes his first story and tells his father and Rahim Khan
about it. Why is this scene so important? What does it tell us about each of these
characters?
31. What is Hassans reaction when he hears Amirs first story?
Chapter 5
32. Describe the action of July 17, 1973. How do the main characters react?
33. Describe Assef. Why are the boys so afraid of him?
34. How and why does Hassan threaten Assef? What does this action tell us about Hassan?
35. What threat does Assef issue?
36. How much time expires between the confrontation between Assef and the boys and the
final birthday scene in the chapter?
37. What birthday gift does Baba give Hassan? Why does Amir think this is ironic?
Chapter 6
38. Explain why Amir loves the icy season.
39. Describe Ahmed and how he differs from Amir. Why do you think the author included
his story in this chapter?
40. Explain this quotation from page 49: Baba and I lived in the same house, but in different
spheres of existence. Kites were the one paper-thin slice of intersection between those
spheres.
41. Amir compares kite fighting to war. Find specific analogies, similes, and metaphors that
he uses in this chapter to form this comparison.
42. Explain what a kite runner does and why Amir considers Hassan to be the best kite
runner.
43. What happened to the kite runner who climbed a tree? Why do you think Hosseini
includes this story? What does it tell the reader about kite runners and this society?

44. Amir tells the story of having a discussion with Hassan and seeing his face change.
Explain what happens in this scene. What purpose does the scene serve?
45. Describe the conversation that Baba and Amir have the night before the biggest kite
championship. What does this scene tell the reader about Baba? What does the scene tell
the reader about Amir?
46. What does Amir tell Hassan he will buy him one day? Why do you think he will do this?
47. Define Inshallah. [The definition is given on the final page of the chapter.]
Chapter 7
48. Explain the dream that Hassan has.
49. Find at least two sentences where figurative language is used to describe the kites.
50. Describe the kite competition and the actions that Amir and Hassan take.
51. How do Amir and Hassan feel at the end of the competition?
52. How does Amir think his father will react?
53. When Amir tells Hassan to run after the blue kite, what does Hassan yell back to Amir?
Where did this statement occur earlier in the book?
54. On page 67 the narrator states: Then he smiled his Hassan smile and disappeared around
the corner. The next time I saw him smile unabashedly like that was twenty-six years
later, in a faded Polaroid photograph. Explain what you think this quotation means.
55. How does Amir believe his father will greet him when he returns after his win in the
competition?
56. Describe the place where the three boys have trapped Hassan. What symbolism might
this scene establish?
57. Explain what Assef tells Hassan about sacrificing himself for Amir. How does Hassan
react?
58. Locate the statement that Amir makes about how his life might have been different.
What does this statement tell the reader about Amir?
59. What memories flood Amirs mind as he witnesses the assault on Hassan?
60. How does Hassan behave during and after the assault?
61. To what does Amir compare Hassans look? What do you think he means?

62. On page 77 Amir states, I had one last chance to make a decision. One final opportunity
to decide who I was going to be. I could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan the
way hed stood up for me all those times in the past and accept whatever would happen
to me. Or I could run. . . . In the end, I ran. Explain what he means. Why had Amir run
away? (Be careful! Read this page a second time.)
63. What symbolism can you find in the scene where Amir and Hassan meet 15 minutes after
the assault? Explain.
64. How is Amir greeted when he returns home? How does Amir react?
65. Go back and re-read the opening paragraph in the book. What do you now understand?
Chapter 8
66. Describe the changes in Hassans behavior.
67. What does Ali ask Amir, and how does Amir respond?
68. What happens during the trip to Jalalabad? Why is Amir first excited when his father
agrees to go, and why does he quickly become discouraged?
69. What does Amir say aloud one night when he could not sleep? Who hears? Explain the
significance of this scene?
70. Why is Amir upset when he sees the pomegranate tree again?
71. Explain the discussion between Amir and Hassan when Hassan asks Amir what he has
done wrong?
72. Why do you think Amir is so upset with Hassans loyalty?
73. What question does Amir asks that upsets his father? How does Baba respond?
74. Describe the episode with Amir throwing a pomegranate at Hassan. Why is this scene
significant? What is Amir trying to do? How does Hassan react?
75. Describe Amirs birthday party. What brings him joy and what upsets him?
76. What do Amir and Rahim Khan discuss? Why is this story so significant?
77. What does Amir almost tell Rahim Khan? Why do you think he does not tell him?
78. Why is Amir upset in the flickering light during the fireworks?

Chapter 9
79. How does Amir feel when he looks around at all of his presents? Why does he feel this
way?
80. What gift does he treasure? Why?
81. What gift does Amir receive from Hassan and Ali? How does this gift make him feel?
Explain.
82. How does Amir frame or set-up Hassan for punishment? Why do you think he does
this?
83. What happens when Amir tells his father about the theft?
84. Why does Amir flinch? What does Amir now realize?
85. What do Hassan and Ali decide to do afterwards? Why do you think they do this? How
does Baba react?
86. What does Amir realize when Ali looks at him in his cold, unforgiving way (106)?
87. What makes Baba cry for the first time?
88. What is left in the corner of Hassans shack? Why do you think he did this?
89. Describe the weather at the end of the chapter. What might this symbolize?
Chapter 10
90. Describe what Amir and his father do when Amir is 18. What do they take with them?
91. Why had the men kept this a secret?
92. How has Afghanistan changed in the last couple of years?
93. How does Baba defend a young woman?
94. What happens?
95. How does Amir respond? What does he think of his fathers actions?
96. Baba states: Tell him Ill take a thousand of his bullets before I let this indecency take
place (116). What memory flashes before Amir when he hears his father state this?
Why?
97. Why does Baba attack Karim?

98. Why must people hide in the basement? Describe the basement.
99. How has Kamal changed since the last time Amir had seen him? Why had he changed?
100. What is ironic about his change? (Look at page 71 if you dont remember.)
101. Why does Baba pick up a handful of dirt?
102. When Baba tells Amir to think of something happy while they ride inside a fuel
truck, what memory does Amir recall?
103. What disturbing event happens at the end of the chapter? Why does this happen?
How does it affect Amir?
Chapter 11
104. Explain this quotation: Baba loved the idea of America. It was living in America
that gave him an ulcer (125).
105. Explain the violent scene in the store. Why had Baba responded in this manner?
How does Amir react?
106. Explain the story about the food stamps. What does this story tell us about Baba?
107. How does Baba react when Amir graduates from high school?
108. At the end of the night when Baba and Amir celebrate his graduation, what does
Baba say that disturbs Amir?
109. Explain the quotation: I didnt want to sacrifice for Baba anymore. The last
time I had done that, I had damned myself.
110. How does Baba feel about Amirs plans to become a writer?
111. What story does Baba tell Amir about Soraya?
Chapter 12
112. Explain the problems that Amir encounters as he tries to spend time with Soraya?
113. Why cant he just ask her out on a date? How does Sorayas mother feel about
Amir?
114. How do traditional Afghan dating customs differ from American customs?
115. What are Sorayas career plans? Why does she want to do this? Why does her
father reject these plans?

116. Explain Babas sickness. How does he respond to it? How does Amir respond to
his fathers illness?
117. Why is Baba so upset with Dr. Schneider? What does this tell the reader about
Baba?
118. Explain this quotation from page 157: Whats going to happen to you, you say?
All those years, thats what I was trying to teach you, how to never have to ask
that question.
119. Describe the scene where Amir and Soraya meet in the hospital when Baba is so
ill. (This is the time of their first touch.) Why is this scene so important to Amir?
120. When his father is very ill, what does Amir ask his father to do for him? How
does his father respond? Why?
121. What does Soraya tell Amir in their first telephone conversation? How does Amir
respond?
122. At the end of the chapter, Amir states that he envied Soraya. Explain.
Chapter 13
123. Describe the lafz ceremony. How does this ceremony differ from American
customs?
124. What thoughts go through Amirs mind during the wedding ceremony? Why?
125. Explain the poignancy of the scene with the leather bound book. Why does Amir
cry? Why is this scene so significant?
126. Describe General Taheri. Compare and contrast him with Baba.
127. The Kite Runner illustrates many examples of double standards for men and
women. Cite some of these examples. How do the major characters feel about
these different standards?
128. Describe the scene where Sorayas father brings her home after she had run off
with a man when she was a teenager. What does this scene tell the reader about
Soraya and about her father?
129. What gift does the general give Amir when they move into their new home? What
does this gift show about the general?
130. On the night when Amir celebrates the publication of his first book, his thoughts
wander when he is alone after Soraya has fallen asleep. Explain his thoughts.

131. Why was Afghanistan forgotten (184)?
132. Describe the problems that Amir and Soraya encounter when they decide to have
children. How do they react? How do Sorayas parents react?
Chapter 14
133. In what year and month does the chapter begin? Compare this time period to the
time period of the opening of the novel.
134. Why has Rahim Khan called Amir? How does Amir react to the call?
135. How have Amir and Soraya changed in the last decade?
136. On page 192, Amir states: I knew he knew. Explain what he means. How does
he know?
137. How have the general and his wife changed?
138. Describe Amirs dreams. What might these dreams tell us about Amir?
139. What does Amir do the following week?
Chapter 15
140. Describe Peshawar.
141. Describe Rahim Khan.
142. What is Rahim Khan unable to remember? Why is this surprising?
143. Explain what happened to Rahim Khan at the soccer stadium. From this story,
what do we learn about the changes in Afghanistan?
144. Describe what happened to Afghanistan when the Northern Alliance moved in.
145. Why had Rahim Khan danced when the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan?
146. What happened to the orphanage? Again, what does this tell us about the changes
in Afghanistan?
147. On page 201, Rahim Khan states: Yes, hope is a strange thing. Peace at last. But
at what price? Explain.
148. Describe Rahim Khans health.

149. Rahim Khan states on page 201: I see America has infused you with the
optimism that has made her so great. Thats very good. Were a melancholic
people, we Afghans, arent we? Explain what he means.
150. What does Amir learn about Hassan?
Chapter 16
151. Who narrates this chapter?
152. How had Rahim Khan spent his time in Babas house after Baba and Amir had
left?
153. How does Rahim Khan describe Hassan when he first finds him? How does
Hassan greet Rahim Khan?
154. What disturbing news about Ali does Hassan tell?
155. How does Hassan first respond when Rahim Khan asks him to move back to
Kabul? Why does he change his mind?
156. How and why had Hassan learned to read? What does this tell us about how he
has changed?
157. How does Hassan behave when he moves back to Babas house? Why does
Rahim Khan have trouble understanding this?
158. Explain what happens when Sanaubar, Hassans mother, returns home. How does
Hassan respond?
159. Describe Sohrab and how the family changes after he arrives.
160. How does the author use kite running to explain how things have changed in
Kabul?
Chapter 17
161. Explain the contents of the letter that Rahim Khan gives Amir.
162. How does the letter affect Amir?
163. Describe Kabul as Hassan depicts it in his letter.
164. What do we learn about the pomegranate tree? How might this be symbolic?
165. What disturbing news about Hassan and his wife does Rahim Khan tell Amir?

166. How does Amir respond to this news? What thoughts go through his mind?
167. Explain what Rahim Khan wants Amir to do. How does Amir react? Why?
168. Look at page 221. What quotation about Amir does Rahim Khan interject? How
does Amir respond?
169. Explain the shocking news that Rahim Khan tells Amir at the end of the chapter.
How does Amir react?
Chapter 18
170. Explain the memories of Hassan and Baba that Amir resurrects.
171. On page 225, Amir calls Baba a thief. Explain.
172. Amir says that he may have been called to Pakistan to atone for both his own and
his fathers sins. Explain what he means.
173. What does Amir finally decide to do? Why?
Chapter 19
174. Describe Farid and his family. Why is he so bitter?
175. Explain why Farid is so rude to Amir.
176. How had Amir prepared for the trip to Afghanistan?
177. Explain why Amir rejects Rahim Khans admonition to wait a few days before
leaving.
178. On page 231, Amir states: I fell like a tourist in my own country. Explain what
he means and explain how Farid responds.
179. Why do Farid and his brother argue during Amirs visit. What does this tell us
about both men?
180. What does Amir tell the brothers that changes how both of them feel about him?
181. What makes Amir cringe? Why?
182. The story of the gift of the wristwatch is one of the most poignant stories in the
novel. Explain.
183. Describe the dream/nightmare that Amir has that night? What significance does it
have?

184. What is Amirs final gift to the family? What does this gift tell us about him?
Chapter 20
185. Explain how Afghanistan has changed since the last time Amir had been there.
186. Describe the Taliban and what Amir learns about them.
187. Amirs interaction with the old beggar is extremely important to him. Describe
the beggar and explain why Amir is so interested in him.
188. What specific information does Amir learn about his mother?
189. Explain Amirs first encounter with the Taliban in the truck. What mistake does
Amir make?
190. Describe the orphanage.
191. Why is Zaman so afraid of Amir at first? How does Amir convince him to open
the door and listen to him?
192. Describe Zaman.
193. Why does Farid attack Zaman? How does Amir stop the fight?
194. Zaman explains why he has allow several children to be mistreated. Why has he
done this? Do you agree with what he has done?
195. What does Amir learn about Sohrab?
196. What advice about finding Sohrab does Zaman give Amir?
Chapter 21
197. As Farid and Amir drive toward the stadium, what shocking scenes do they see?
198. Describe and explain the Street of Guests.
199. What memory does Amir recall when he sees the pink house?
200. Describe what Amir sees when he walks around his old house. How does he feel
about the changes?
201. On page 263, Farid says to Amir: Nothing that you remember has survived. Best
to forget. Do you agree with Farid? How does Amir respond?
202. Describe the pomegranate tree scene. Where have we seen this tree previously in
the book? How might this tree be symbolic?

203. Describe the hotel room where Farid and Amir spend the night.
204. Amir states that he doesnt mind paying the exorbitant cost for the hotel room.
Why not? Explain.
205. Define Mullah Nasruddin jokes. Why do you think the author includes this scene
in the book?
206. Describe the scene that Farid and Amir find inside the stadium. How do they both
feel as they enter?
207. Find the passage where Amir remembers what Baba had said about clerics many
years before. How prescient was Baba?
208. Describe how the man and woman were stoned. What do the clerics do? How do
they justify their actions? How do the people in the crowd react? How does Amir
react?
209. How do the men set up an appointment with the man in the black sunglasses?
Chapter 22
210. Describe the house where Amir goes to meet the man with black sunglasses.
211. How does Amir feel as he awaits the meeting? (Find and read the paragraph
where he shares his thoughts.)
212. Describe the man he meets. What does Amir notice on the mans arms? What do
you think this means?
213. What do the men do to Amir before they talk to him?
214. What stories of violence does the man tell Amir? Why do you think he tells these
stories?
215. On page 277, the man states: You dont know the word liberating until youve
done that, stood in a roomful of targets, let the bullets fly, free of guilt and
remorse, knowing you are virtuous, good, and decent. Knowing your doing Gods
work. Its breathtaking. Explain the quotation. How do you think he became this
way?
216. Amir is told that he could be arrested for treason. Explain. Why is this ironic?
217. Describe Sohrab?
218. How does the man treat Sohrab?

219. Who does the man reveal himself to be and how does Amir respond?
220. When Amir offers to pay for the boy, what does the man tell him about his own
family?
221. The man says that he had an epiphany in prison. What happened to him? What is
the epiphany that he experiences?
222. What is his mission?
223. Describe Sohrabs eyes.
224. What rules does the man set up for the fight? (He tells the guards and Amir.) Why
is the fight unfair?
225. A story in italics appears at the bottom of page 287. What do you think this is?
226. Describe the fight between the man and Amir.
227. Why does Amir start to laugh? What does he mean when he says he is healed?
228. What does Sohrab do when it is obvious that the man is going to kill Amir? What
do his actions remind you of? (Go back and look at page 42.)
229. What happens to the man?
230. How do Amir and Sohrab escape?
Chapter 23
231. In the opening of the chapter, the reader discovers the meaning of the vignette on
page 287. Explain.
232. Why does the author leave so much space between the paragraphs on pages 294
and 295? (What purpose does the space serve?)
233. What dream about the bear does Amir recall? How has the dream changed?
234. Describe Amirs injuries.
235. What may be symbolic about one of Amirs injuries? Explain.
236. How does Sohrab behave when he first sees Amir in the hospital?
237. Explain what Rahim Khan has done.
238. Why is Amir concerned about a tall bearded man he sees in the hospital?

239. Summarize Rahims letter to Amir.
240. Why does Farid think Amir should leave the hospital as soon as possible?
241. What phrase does Farid state that causes Amir to cry? Why does it make him cry?
242. How does Amir try to establish a relationship with Sohrab?
243. What dream does Amir have the night after he plays panjpar with Sohrab? Why is
this disturbing?
244. What does Farid tell Amir about Betty and John Caldwell? What do you think has
happened?
245. At the end of the chapter Amir recalls Rahims statement that theres a way to be
good again. What do you think he meant?
Chapter 24
246. Describe the mosque that fascinates Sohrab.
247. Describe the scene when Farid and Amir say good-bye.
248. Explain how Amir reacts when he discovers that Sohrab is missing. What does he
do? Who helps him? Why?
249. According to Mr. Fayyaz, what is wrong with Afghanis? Explain what he means.
250. Why is Sohrab so upset and how does Amir comfort him?
251. On page 318, Amir remembers something he read: There are a lot of children in
Afghanistan, but little childhood. Explain the quotation.
252. What disturbing question about God does Sohrab ask Amir. How does Sohrab
respond?
253. How does Sohrab respond when Amir asks him if he would like to come to
America with him?
254. How does Sohrab react when Amir tells him that the two of them are related and
that his father never knew?
255. What are the two mullahs on television discussing and what do they decide? What
does this tell the reader about some of the Muslims in Pakistan? How does it
differ from America?

256. How does Amir respond when Sohrab tells him that he doesnt want to go back to
an orphanage?
257. How does Soraya react when Amir calls her and tells her about Sohrab? What
does he ask her to do?
258. What does Raymond Andrews tell Amir when he questions him about adopting
Sohrab? Why is Amir so upset with Andrews?
259. When he leaves his office, what does Amir learn about Andrewss behavior and
how it has changed?
260. Describe Amirs meeting with Omar Faisal. What advice does he give Amir?
261. After whom was Sohrab named?
262. Explain what Sohrab says about sour apples. How does he apply this concept to
moving to America?
263. What upsets Sohrab?
264. Explain the great news Amir learns in a telephone call as Sohrab takes a bath.
265. Explain the little information the reader learns at the end of the chapter. What do
you think has happened?
Chapter 25
266. Describe Amirs feelings as he waits in the hospital. To what earlier experience
does he compare these feelings? Why?
267. For the first time in the book, Amir seriously feels the need to pray. Explain what
he does and the promises he makes to God.
268. Describe Sohrab when Amir sees him after he knows the boy will survive.
269. During one dream, Amir thinks that the man he sees is one of the doctors, but he
discovers he is someone else. Who? Why do you think this man appears in his
dreams?
270. Why does the hotel manager ask Amir to leave? How does Amir respond?
271. Why does Amir take his copy of the Shahnamah to the hospital? What does he
hope to accomplish? Explain
272. What does Sohrab tell Amir that he really wants? (Careful, he says several
things.)

273. On the bottom of page 354, why does the author include part of the passage in
italics? What are Amirs thoughts?
274. How have Amir and Sohrabs relationship changed?
275. To what earlier experience with Hassan does Amir now compare himself?
276. On page 356, Amir says, Something was lost between Sohrab and me. Explain.
277. What glimpse of Sohrabs life for the next year do we receive?
278. On page 354, the narrator states: Perspective was a luxury when your head was
constantly buzzing with a swarm of demons. Explain.
279. Explain the point of the inclusion of the story about movie endings.
280. Describe Sundays tiny miracle.
281. Rahim Khan had stated to Amir: Your father was a man torn between two
halves. What does Amir believe this means? When he thinks of this concept at
the end of the book, what does he realize?
282. What discussion about Sohrab do Amir and the general have? Why does the
general say he needs to know everything? What word does Amir forbid him to say
again? Why?
283. What changes does Amir see after the Twin Towers fell?
284. What project do Amir and Soraya become involved in? Why? To what project of
his fathers is this similar?
285. When does the action at the end of the book take place? (Month and year)
286. Where does the general go after 9/11? Why?
287. What can the reader infer about Amirs religious life at the end of the book?
288. Describe the kite scene at the end of the book.
289. On the final page of the book, Amir says, For you, a thousand times over.
Explain why he says this.
Final Discussion
290. Go back and re-read the opening paragraph of the book. Explain the paragraph.

291. In the opening chapter Amir recalls that Rahim Khan had stated, There is a way
to be good again. What had he meant? Do you think Amir has sufficiently atoned
for his earlier mistakes? Explain.
292. Loyalty and betrayal play major roles in the novel. Explain.
293. Describe the friendship between Amir and Hassan. How and why does it change?
294. By reading The Kite Runner, we get a better understanding of how life has
changed in Afghanistan. Describe Kabul when Amir was a small child and then
describe how it changes through the years. Amir says at one point in the book that
he wishes that his home could once again be the way it was when he was younger.
How would you feel if your home town or country changed as Amirs home
changed? What would you lose?
295. The Kite Runner illustrates the brutality of some individuals, but it also shows the
enduring kindness and goodness of several characters. Give examples of each.
How do you think it is possible for people to be so different? Use examples from
the book to illustrate your ideas.
296. Throughout his life, Amir had a difficult relationship with his father. Describe his
relationship. How do you think their relationship might have differed if Baba had
been honest with Amir about his relationship to Amir? How do you think their
relationship might have been different if Amirs mother had not died?
297. For most people, Assef is the most disturbing character in the book. Describe the
nature of his evil. Do you think anything could have been done to temper his
violence? Do you think he would have become as violent if Afghanistan had not
been overtaken by the Taliban?
298. Describe how the book deals with religion, both the devout followers, those with
no religion, and the extremists.
299. Compare and contrast the lives of Baba and General Teheri in America. Why do
you think they are so different?
300. Throughout the book, the reader sees many examples where women are treated as
second-class citizens. Give examples. How do you think these women dealt with
such discrimination.
301. Discrimination is not restricted to the gender of individuals. Give additional

examples of discrimination in the novel.

302. Dreams often give readers a glimpse into a characters thoughts and feelings.
Give examples of dreams that appear in the book that help us better understand
Amir.
303. Flying kites is an important motif that runs through the book. Explain what we
learn about the characters and about the conflicts of the book by looking only at
the scenes involving kites.
304. Give examples of symbolism that appear in the book. You might begin by looking
at the pomegranate tree.
305. The Kite Runner gives several examples of the sacrifice of animals. Explain and
tell how this idea of sacrifice is also applied to characters in the book.
306. Explain the major themes of the novel.
307. Critique the book. What did you like and dislike about the story and the authors
writing style.
308. How different would the novel be if the author had used a different point of view?
Does the first person narration help or hurt the book?
309. Of all of the characters in the novel, who would you most like to meet or know?
Why?
310. Some people think The Kite Runner is to violent for high school students to read.
Do you agree or disagree? Do you think the book would be as effective if the
author had mollified some of the violent scenes?
311. Good literature stays with the reader. Even years after we have read a book, we
can still recall important themes, characters, or actions. What will you most
remember about The Kite Runner? Why?

Reading Quizzes
Explanation & Directions
In a perfect world, our students would relish the opportunity to read and discuss good literature. While many of our
best students read with great pleasure, some of our students will not read unless they know they will receive a grade
for the assignment. At the same time, some students become extremely interested in books half way through the
book, but fail to completely grasp the themes or character analysis simply because they failed to complete the
reading assignments on the opening chapters of the book and cannot catch up with the class. Other students swear
that they have read the assignment, but what they call reading is what most of us would consider skimming a
passage.
Reading checks or quizzes are often helpful in ensuring that students complete their assigned reading. These reading
quizzes will work for all grade levels and for all levels of ability; however teachers will obviously need to modify
how hard they grade the quizzes based on the ability of their students.
Directions
1. Duplicate the quiz answer sheet for each student in the class. Use the front and back of the page so that
each students answer sheet may be used for 6 quizzes.
2. Each day (or however frequently you give quizzes), pass out the quiz sheets to students. Have students list
the chapters the quiz will cover.
3. Using the chapter words that follow, call out the words/items/people that you want students to identify.
Quizzes should consist of 5 words. If the quiz covers one chapter, use 5 words for that one chapter. If the
quiz covers two chapters, choose 2 words from one chapter and 3 for another chapter, etc. For particularly
difficult chapters or for younger students, you may want to give students 6 words and have them identify
only 5 of the items. As you call out the words (or write them on the board) students should write them on
their quiz sheets.
4. Students should identify the person/item/concept in as few words as possible (3-5 words usually).
Emphasize that they must identify it with information found in the chapters from that nights reading. Their
answers must show that they actually read the passage.
Examples (all correct answers depending on age and ability of students)

telephone call: asks narrator to come to Pakstan; man calls narrator to ask him to visit;
narrator takes walk after phone call; Rahid calls narrator;
tells narrator about a way to become good again
5. Collect the quiz sheets and grade them at the end of each quiz. Because the answers are short, teachers
should be able to grade them quickly. In grading the papers, concentrate on whether or not you can tell if
the student has read the assignment. Answers are not provided for the words that follow simply because
many of the words can have more than one answer. If you are reading the book along with students, you
will know the acceptable answers for each item. Hint about grading: Punch holes in quiz sheets and place
them in a notebook after you collect them. Flip through the pages quickly as you grade. When you grade
them quickly, you will memorize the answers and know the key words that should appear.

Name ________________________________ Reading Quizzes on The Kite Runner
Directions for Reading Quizzes

The purpose of this quiz is to determine if you read the assignment carefully and with understanding. For each of
the following items, give a brief description of information found about this item from the assigned reading. Write
in brief phrases. The first quiz you miss because of an absence will be omitted. If you are present each day and
take all of the quizzes, refrain from whining about the difficulty of some items on the quiz, and keep up with this
sheet so you can take all of your quizzes on this sheet, 50 points will be added to your final quiz.
Quiz # Chapters Date Score

The Kite Runner
Reading Quizzes
Chapter 1 Chapter 5
1. telephone call 1. gunshots
2. kites 2. brass knuckles
Chapter 2 3. slingshot
1. Hassan 4. Hassans birthday gift
2. Ali 5. circumcism
3. Baba
4. polio Chapter 6
5. cleft lip 1. school in icy season
Chapter 3 2. Ahmad
1. orphanage 3. mixture of glass and glue
2. sin of theft 4. kite runner
3. fathers disappointment 5. television
Chapter 4 Chapter 7
1. orphan boy 1. dream
2. carving on tree 2. blue kite
3. Imbecile 3. Assef
4. short story 4. lamb/sheep
5. Bravo 5. ripped shirt

Chapter 8 Chapter 11
1. party 1. I.D. for check
2. I watched Hassan get raped. 2. food stamps
3. Who says: I dont know what I have 3. Grand Torino

done.
4. flea market
4. new servants
5. Soraya
5. pomegranate
6. Hitler biography
7. Homaira (Rahim Khans fiance)

Chapter 12
8. fireworks
1. Wuthering Heights
2. teacher
Chapter 9
3. short story
1. Schwinn Stingray
4. cold (illness)
2. brand new Shahnamah
5. stroke (illness)
3. watch under mattress
4. leaving
Chapter 13
5. toys in corner of shack
1. $35,000
2. mirror
Chapter 10
3. leather-bound book
1. Karim
4. migraines
2. Russian soldier
5. cut hair
3. basement
6. typewriter
4. fuel truck
7. Martin Greenwalt
5. Kamal
8. adoption

1. Aflatoon (Farsi for Plato) 1. letter
2. phone call 2. pomegranate tree
3. broken right hip 3. shot while kneeling
4. sit in back of classroom 4. Sohrab
5. airplane 5. Hassans father
1. Afghan town 1. betrayal
2. scar above right eye 2. Kabul
3. Babas house Chapter 19
4. Babas orphanage 1. lemon
5. Hassan 2. beard
3. Farid
Chapter 16 4. wristwatch
1. Farzan jan 5. crumpled money
2. killed by landmine Chapter 20
3. stillborn baby 1. trees
4. toothless old woman 2. old beggar
5. Sohrab 3. mother
6. kites on wall 4. Zaman
5. black sunglasses

1. artificial leg 1. $2,000
2. pomegranate tree 2. Polaroid snapshot
3. jokes 3. metal detector
4. long pants 4. death certificate
5. holes in ground 5. orphanage
Chapter 22
1. blood on sleeve Chapter 25
2. mascara 1. prayer rug
3. Assef 2. Sohrabs injury
4. kidney stones 3. hotel
5. brass ball 4. Hazara boy
5. kite
Chapter 23
1. Dr. Faruqi
2. lip
3. safe deposit box
4. panjpar (game)
5. John & Betty Caldwell

The Kite Runner
Major Tests
This packet includes three different tests on The Kite Runner. Additionally, the final page of the
packet includes essay questions that can be used as writing topics or added to one of the tests that
follow.
Test 1: 50 Short-Answer Questions

This test is best used to determine if students have read the novel outside of class. It was
designed specifically as a reading check for summer reading. Students who have read the book
should do well on it even if they have not had the opportunity to discuss the book with their
peers. The test would be too easy for most students who have read and discussed the book with
their class. Teachers who want to include one or more essay questions to the test should select
questions from the list of Essay Questions.
Test 2: Short-Answer Test

This test includes a list of character names and asks students to match descriptions of characters
to character names, identify speakers of quotations, and answer two essay questions (one
paragraph each). The test is designed to be used on Scantron or other machine-scored answer
sheets. Blank answer sheets are also provided for teachers who may not have access to machine
scoring. Two forms of the test are provided.
Each correct answer is worth 1 point. Each paragraph is worth 10 points. If the test is too long,
teachers may want to give the essay questions on a separate day from the matching section. Or,
teachers may want to assign only one essay question and count it as 20 points (or leave it as 10
points and divide the total number of points that students make on the test by 90 in order to
render a percentage). At teacher discretion, students may use their books on the essay section if
teachers have collected the answer sheets.
Teachers should emphasize:
One part (Part 1 on Form A and Part 2 on Form B) asks students to identify the name of

the character who is DESCRIBED in the prompt.
One part (Part 2 on Form A and part 1 on Form B) asks students to identify the
SPEAKER of the quotation. Please read the test directions with students and give them
an example. Some students may think that they were supposed to memorize this
information! Without teacher direction, they may not understand how to think about the
quotation and the book in order to narrow down the characters who might have said the
statement.
Test 3: Essay Test

Each question should be answered in one paragraph if given on a test. (Teachers must determine
how many questions students should answer.) For an all-essay test, teachers may select to
duplicate the entire sheet of essay questions and allow students to select one to five questions
from the list. Or, teachers may select the specific questions they want students to answer and
then copy them on another handout or write them on the board. Teachers may also decide to use
discussion questions that appeared at the end of the chapter discussion questions. Emphasize that
student answers must show that the student understands the novel and must utilize proper usage
and mechanics. Writing the names of major characters on the board or allowing students to flip
through their books quickly before the test in order to write down the names of characters will
reduce the amount of time teachers spend in correcting spelling errors.
Some teachers may also decide to allow students to use their books as they answer essay
questions.

The Kite Runner
Khaled Hosseini
50 Short-Answer Questions
Directions
The purpose of this test is to determine if you read the book with understanding. All of the questions
are presented in the order in which they appear in the book. For instance, question number one takes
place in the opening pages of the book, and the final question takes place in the closing pages of the
book. Please answer all questions on the provided answer sheet. Please do not write on this page.
1. What happened to the narrators mother?

2. What happened to Hassans mother?
3. What does Baba build for his community?
4. Who had Babas father adopted?
5. What is Assefs main weapon?
6. What weapon does Hassan use to defend against Assef?
7. Why does Amir love the icy season?
8. What does Baba tell Amir the night before the biggest kite tournament in his town?
9. In Afghanistan what is wearing American clothes a sign of?
10. Why dont Assefs friends want to participate in the assault of Hassan?
11. When Amir sees Hassan walking down the road after the assault, what is Hassan
carrying?
12. What question does Amir ask that angers his father and makes his father warn him never
to ask that question again? (He says he is ashamed of Amir for asking this.)
13. What book does Assef give Amir for his birthday?
14. What disturbing thing does Amir see during the fireworks at the end of his birthday
party?
15. Where does Amir place his watch and money?
16. What event makes Baba cry (the first time Amir had ever seen him cry)?
17. Who prevents a soldier from raping a young woman?
18. What does Baba stuff inside his snuffbox?
19. What does Baba give Amir when he graduates from high school?
20. Why does Amir enjoy going to the flea market?
21. What is physically wrong with Baba?
22. What does Amir ask his father to do for him near the end of Babas life?
23. Why do Amir and Soraya do with the mirror during the wedding ceremony?
24. One night Soraya and Baba are reading something that makes Amir cry. (He actually
leaves the room so he wont cry in front of his father.) What are they reading?
25. Why must Soraya and Amir endure so many tests when they visit Dr. Rosen?
26. How had Rahim Khan received the scar above his right eye?

27. How had Ali died?
28. Who is the old woman who has been slashed by a knife who stumbles into Babas old
house?
29. How are Hassan and his wife killed?
30. What does Farid give Amir to settle his stomach as they drive through the Khyber Pass?
31. What gift does Amir give Wahids three sons when he stays the night at their hut?
32. Why is Amir so interested in the old beggar he meets in Kabul?
33. Why does Farid fight Zaman?
34. When Farid and Amir enter Ghazi Stadium, a young boy tries to sell them something that
the Taliban have banned. What is he selling?
35. What sin had the two people who were stoned in Ghazi Stadium committed?
36. What is the name of the man in the black sunglasses who holds Sohrab without his
permission?
37. When Amir is beaten by one of the members of the Taliban, who saves him?
38. What gift does Rahim Khan leave for Amir?
39. What does Amir discover about John and Betty Caldwell?
40. What does Amir give Farid when they meet for the last time?
41. When Sohrab leaves the hotel by himself, where does Amir later find him?
42. When Amir finally talks to his wife on the telephone, what does he tell her he wants to
do?
43. Why does Amir need death certificates for Sohrabs parents?
44. What promise does Amir first make to Sohrab?
45. What happens to Sohrab in the bathroom?
46. Why does the hotel manager make Amir move?
47. What does Amir read to Sohrab?
48. What does Sohrab do for an entire year?
49. When does the general return to Afghanistan?
50. What do Amir and Sohrab do together at the end of the book?

Kite Runner Answer Sheet
Name ANSWER KEY
1 died in childbirth 26 hit with rifle

2 ran off and left family 27 steps on landmine
3 orphanage 28 Sanaubar Hassans mother
4 Ali 29 shot by Taliban
5 brass knuckles 30 lemon
6 slingshot 31 watch
7 schools close or kite fighting 32 knew his mother
8 tells him he will win 33 Zaman had sold children
9 wealth 34 sexy pictures
10 sin afraid fathers will find out 35 adultery
11 blue kite 36 Assef
12 Can we get new servants? 37 Sohrab
13 Hitlers biography 38 money
14 Hassan serving drinks to Assef 39 never existed
15 under Hassans pillow 40 money - $2,000
16 Hassans departure 41 near huge mosque
17 Baba 42 adopt Sohrab
18 soil from Afghanistan 43 prove he is an orphan
19 used car 44 no orphanage
20 to see Soraya 45 attempts suicide cuts self
21 Cancer 46 bad business
22 ask General for daughters hand 47 epic about warrior Sohrab Shahnamah
23 look at reflection under veil 48 remain silent
24 Amirs stories 49 after 9/11
25 see why Soraya cant get pregnant 50 flying a kite

Kite Runner
Student Answer Sheet
Name _________________________________ Date _____________________
Write neatly in the provided spaces. Unclear or messy answers will be marked as incorrect.
1 26
2 27
3 28
4 29
5 30
6 31
7 32
8 33
9 34
10 35
11 36
12 37
13 38
14 39
15 40
16 41
17 42
18 43
19 44
20 45
21 46
22 47
23 48
24 49
25 50

The Kite Runner
Major Test Form A
Please mark all answers on your answer sheet.
Part I: Character Description

Mark the answer for the character that the phrase or quotation DESCRIBES.
A Ali AB Farid BD Karim ABC Soldiers
B Amir AC General Taheri BE Mullahs ABD Soraya
C Amirs Mother AD Hassan CD Rahim Khan ABE Thomas Caldwell
D Assef AE Kamal CE Sanaubar BCD Zaman
E Baba BC Kamals father DE Sohrab BCE
1. Planted a fistful of crumpled money under a mattress

2. Leaves Ali a week after her child is born
3. Dies of cancer
4. Suffers from insomnia
5. Great with a sling-shot (List 2 answers)
6. Carries brass knuckles
7. Summoned back to Afghanistan when the Northern Alliance started to fight the Taliban
8. Man Hassan thinks is his father
9. Man in black sunglasses in Ghazi stadium
10. Hes always buried in those books or shuffling around the house like hes lost in some dream.
11. Allows his family to live off welfare
12. Hare lipped
13. Suffered from migraines
14. Promises to buy Hassan a television one day
15. One of Hassans tormenters who was later raped
16. Has a congenital paralysis of his lower facial muscles, a condition that rendered him unable to smile
17. Made to cut off his or her hair
18. Wants to be a teacher
19. Hassans true father
20. saw the world in black and white. And he got to decide what was black and white. You cant love a person
who lives that way without fearing him too.
21. Killed by a landmine
22. Gave Amir a brown leather-bound notebook
23. Almost strangles a man who asks to see his ID when he buys something with a check

24. Were fed from the same breast (Please mark two answers.)
25. Dies after riding in the empty fuel truck (apparently suffocated)
26. Carved names into a tree
27. Rahim said he would take care of the child, but Amir found out that this man and his wife had never lived
in Pakistan.
28. Suffered from polio and his right leg had atrophied
29. Smuggles people out of Afghanistan
30. Crushed a pomegranate against his own head
31. Toothless woman whose face was sliced by a knife
32. Wears mascara and is made to dance
33. God help us all if Afghanistan ever falls into their hands. Baba said it about whom?
34. Smiles a crooked smile at the end of the book
35. Shoots himself and dies
36. Built an orphanage
37. Gave Amir a copy of Hitlers biography
38. Put soil from Afghanistan inside a snuff box so he could take it with him
39. Hit in the head with a rifle during a soccer game
40. Gives children a wristwatch and later realizes they were hungry
41. Runs an orphanage in Kabul
42. Named after a warrior
43. Chases after the kite at the end of the book
44. Amirs taxi driver in Afghanistan tells him to eat a lemon.
45. Tells Amir that his father was also Hassans father
46. Tells Amir he must bring the wounded boy home to San Francisco
47. Teaches his son to read and write
48. Publishes four books
49. Shot in the back of the head and dies
Part II: Identify the Speaker of Each Quotation

Directions: Read each quotation and determine the SPEAKER of the quotation. You will use the same as you used
in Part I. Names may be used once, more than once, or not at all. HINT: If you cant remember who said the
quotation, think of the content of the quotation and ask yourself who would have said such a statement. If you know
the characters well, you can figure out most answers even if you cant recall reading the quotation in the book.
50. When we lived in Virginia, I ran away with an Afghan man.

51. Im letting you keep the kite. Ill let you keep it so it will always remind you of what Im about to do.
52. His father was a judge and had adopted Ali
53. You know, you can tell me anything you want, Amir jan. Anytime.
54. You will never again refer to him as Hazara boy in my presence. He has a name and its Sohrab.

55. Couldnt he have just smelled an onion?

56. Im going to close the door. Then he and I are going to finish and old bit of business. No matter what you
hear, dont come in!
57. A boy who wont stand up for himself becomes a man who cant stand up to anything.
58. I dont want to go to Kabul. I cant!
59. This doesnt end today. . . . Someday, Ill make you face me one on one.
60. If I deny him one child, he takes ten.
61. There is a way to be good again.
62. You dont know the meaning of the word liberating until youve done that, stood in a roomful of targets,
let the bullets fly, free of guilt and remorse, knowing you are virtuous, good, and decent. Knowing youre
doing Gods work.
63. Did something happen to him, Amir agha? Something hes not telling me?
64. People will ask. They will want to know why there is a Hazara boy living with our daughter. What do I
tell them?
65. There. Now you have your own idiot child to do all your smiling for you.
66. War doesnt negate decency. It demands it, even more than in times of peace.
67. Im so tired. I want my old life back.
68. Would I ever lie to you?
69. No more, Agha. Please stop hurting him.
70. Children arent coloring books. You dont get to fill them with your favorite colors.
71. Happiness is frightening. They only let you be this happy if they are preparing to take something from
you.
72. I opened my mouth, almost said something. Almost. The rest of my life might have turned out differently
if I had. But I didnt. I just watched. Paralyzed.
73. Youve always been a tourist here. You just didnt know it.
74. There is only one sin, only one. And it is theft.
75. Your father was a tortured soul.
76. If idiots like you and your father didnt take these people in, wed be rid of them by now.
77. We cant live here anymore.
78. I dream that someday you will return to Kabul to revisit the land of our childhood. If you do, you will find
an old faithful friend waiting for you.
79. In the end, I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I was Sunni and he was Shia, and nothing was ever
going to change that. Nothing.
80. Have you ever thought about getting new servants?

Part III: Essay
Directions
Please complete both essay questions. Each question should be answered on a separate sheet of paper in
blue or black ink. Please do not write on the back of the page. Each paragraph should be approximately
to 1 page in length. Make sure your paragraphs include strong topic sentences, analysis of the topic, and
support from the book. Since you are writing about literature, please write in present tense. Proofread
carefully.
A. Paragraph One : Quotation Explication (10 points)

Select one of the quotations from this test. Write one paragraph in which you explain the quotation and then
tell why the quotation is so important in the book.
B. Paragraph Two: Analysis of Theme (10 points)

The Kite Runner contains several important themes. Explain one of the themes that appears in the book and
use specific examples from the book to support your statements.

The Kite Runner Major Test Form A
Name _______KEY_________________________ Date _______________________
1 B 21 A 41 BCD 61 CD
2 CE 22 CD 42 DE 62 D
3 E 23 E 43 B 63 A
4 B 24 ABD 44 AB 64 AC
5 ADE 25 AE 45 CD 65 CE
6 D 26 B 46 ABD 66 E
7 AC 27 ABE 47 AD 67 DE
8 A 28 A 48 B 68 AD
9 D 29 BD 49 AD 69 DE
10 B 30 AD 50 ABD 70 CD
11 AC 31 CE 51 D 71 C
12 AD 32 DE 52 E 72 B
13 AC 33 BE 53 CD 73 AB
14 B 34 DE 54 B 74 E
15 AE 35 BC 55 AD 75 CD
16 A 36 E 56 D 76 D
17 ABD 37 D 57 E 77 A
18 ABD 38 E 58 B 78 AD
19 E 39 CD 59 D 79 B
20 E 40 B 60 BCD 80 B

The Kite Runner Major Test Form A
Name ________________________________ Date _______________________
1 21 41 61
2 22 42 62
3 23 43 63
4 24 44 64
5 25 45 65
6 26 46 66
7 27 47 67
8 28 48 68
9 29 49 69
10 30 50 70
11 31 51 71
12 32 52 72
13 33 53 73
14 34 54 74
15 35 55 75
16 36 56 76
17 37 57 77
18 38 58 78
19 39 59 79
20 40 60 80

The Kite Runner
Major Test Form B
Please mark all answers on your answer sheet.
Part I: Identify the Speaker of Each Quotation

Directions: Read each quotation and determine the SPEAKER of the quotation. You will use the same as you used
in Part I. Names may be used once, more than once, or not at all. HINT: If you cant remember who said the
quotation, think of the content of the quotation and ask yourself who would have said such a statement. If you know
the characters well, you can figure out most answers even if you cant recall reading the quotation in the book.
1. When we lived in Virginia, I ran away with an Afghan man.

2. Im letting you keep the kite. Ill let you keep it so it will always remind you of what Im about to do.
3. His father was a judge and had adopted Ali
4. You know, you can tell me anything you want, Amir jan. Anytime.
5. You will never again refer to him as Hazara boy in my presence. He has a name and its Sohrab.
6. Couldnt he have just smelled an onion?
7. Im going to close the door. Then he and I are going to finish and old bit of business. No matter what you
hear, dont come in!
8. A boy who wont stand up for himself becomes a man who cant stand up to anything.
9. I dont want to go to Kabul. I cant!
10. This doesnt end today. . . . Someday, Ill make you face me one on one.
11. If I deny him one child, he takes ten.
12. There is a way to be good again.
13. You dont know the meaning of the word liberating until youve done that, stood in a roomful of targets,
let the bullets fly, free of guilt and remorse, knowing you are virtuous, good, and decent. Knowing youre
doing Gods work.
14. Did something happen to him, Amir agha? Something hes not telling me?
15. People will ask. They will want to know why there is a Hazara boy living with our daughter. What do I
tell them?
16. There. Now you have your own idiot child to do all your smiling for you.
17. War doesnt negate decency. It demands it, even more than in times of peace.
18. Im so tired. I want my old life back.
19. Would I ever lie to you?

20. No more, Agha. Please stop hurting him.
21. Children arent coloring books. You dont get to fill them with your favorite colors.
22. Happiness is frightening. They only let you be this happy if they are preparing to take something from
you.
23. I opened my mouth, almost said something. Almost. The rest of my life might have turned out differently
if I had. But I didnt. I just watched. Paralyzed.
24. Youve always been a tourist here. You just didnt know it.
25. There is only one sin, only one. And it is theft.
26. Your father was a tortured soul.
27. If idiots like you and your father didnt take these people in, wed be rid of them by now.
28. We cant live here anymore.
29. I dream that someday you will return to Kabul to revisit the land of our childhood. If you do, you will find
an old faithful friend waiting for you.
30. In the end, I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I was Sunni and he was Shia, and nothing was ever
going to change that. Nothing.
31. Have you ever thought about getting new servants?
Part II: Character Description

Mark the answer for the character that the phrase or quotation DESCRIBES.
32. Planted a fistful of crumpled money under a mattress

33. Leaves Ali a week after her child is born
34. Dies of cancer
35. Suffers from insomnia
36. Great with a sling-shot (List 2 answers)
37. Carries brass knuckles
38. Summoned back to Afghanistan when the Northern Alliance started to fight the Taliban
39. Man Hassan thinks is his father
40. Man in black sunglasses in Ghazi stadium
41. Hes always buried in those books or shuffling around the house like hes lost in some dream.
42. Allows his family to live off welfare
43. Hare lipped
44. Suffered from migraines
45. Promises to buy Hassan a television one day
46. One of Hassans tormenters who was later raped
47. Has a congenital paralysis of his lower facial muscles, a condition that rendered him unable to smile

48. Made to cut off his or her hair

49. Wants to be a teacher
50. Hassans true father
51. saw the world in black and white. And he got to decide what was black and white. You cant love a person
who lives that way without fearing him too.
52. Killed by a landmine
53. Gave Amir a brown leather-bound notebook
54. Almost strangles a man who asks to see his ID when he buys something with a check
55. Were fed from the same breast (Please mark two answers.)
56. Dies after riding in the empty fuel truck (apparently suffocated)
57. Carved names into a tree
58. Rahim said he would take care of the child, but Amir found out that this man and his wife had never lived
in Pakistan.
59. Suffered from polio and his right leg had atrophied
60. Smuggles people out of Afghanistan
61. Crushed a pomegranate against his own head
62. Toothless woman whose face was sliced by a knife
63. Wears mascara and is made to dance
64. God help us all if Afghanistan ever falls into their hands. Baba said it about whom?
65. Smiles a crooked smile at the end of the book
66. Shoots himself and dies
67. Built an orphanage
68. Gave Amir a copy of Hitlers biography
69. Put soil from Afghanistan inside a snuff box so he could take it with him
70. Hit in the head with a rifle during a soccer game
71. Gives children a wristwatch and later realizes they were hungry
72. Runs an orphanage in Kabul
73. Named after a warrior
74. Chases after the kite at the end of the book
75. Amirs taxi driver in Afghanistan tells him to eat a lemon.
76. Tells Amir that his father was also Hassans father
77. Tells Amir he must bring the wounded boy home to San Francisco
78. Teaches his son to read and write
79. Publishes four books
80. Shot in the back of the head and dies

Part III: Essay
Directions
Please complete both essay questions. Each question should be answered on a separate sheet of paper in
blue or black ink. Please do not write on the back of the page. Each paragraph should be approximately
to 1 page in length. Make sure your paragraphs include strong topic sentences, analysis of the topic, and
support from the book. Since you are writing about literature, please write in present tense. Proofread
carefully.
A. Paragraph One : Quotation Explication (10 points)

Select one of the quotations from this test. Write one paragraph in which you explain the quotation and then
tell why the quotation is so important in the book.
B. Paragraph Two: Analysis of Theme (10 points)

The Kite Runner contains several important themes. Explain one of the themes that appears in the book and
use specific examples from the book to support your statements.

The Kite Runner Major Test Form B
Name _______KEY_________________________ Date _______________________
1 ABD 21 CD 41 B 61 AD
2 D 22 C 42 AC 62 CE
3 E 23 B 43 AD 63 DE
4 CD 24 AB 44 AC 64 BE
5 B 25 E 45 B 65 DE
6 AD 26 CD 46 AE 66 BC
7 D 27 D 47 A 67 E
8 E 28 A 48 ABD 68 D
9 B 29 AD 49 ABD 69 E
10 D 30 B 50 E 70 CD
11 BCD 31 B 51 E 71 B
12 CD 32 B 52 A 72 BCD
13 D 33 CE 53 CD 73 DE
14 A 34 E 54 E 74 B
15 AC 35 B 55 ABD 75 AB
16 CE 36 ADE 56 AE 76 CD
17 E 37 D 57 B 77 ABD
18 DE 38 AC 58 ABE 78 AD
19 AD 39 A 59 A 79 B
20 DE 40 D 60 BD 80 AD

The Kite Runner Major Test Form B
Name ________________________________ Date _______________________
1 21 41 61
2 22 42 62
3 23 43 63
4 24 44 64
5 25 45 65
6 26 46 66
7 27 47 67
8 28 48 68
9 29 49 69
10 30 50 70
11 31 51 71
12 32 52 72
13 33 53 73
14 34 54 74
15 35 55 75
16 36 56 76
17 37 57 77
18 38 58 78
19 39 59 79
20 40 60 80

Essay Questions
Your answers must show your understanding of the novel and must utilize proper usage
and mechanics.
1. Early in the novel, Baba tells Rahim: A boy who wont stand up for himself becomes a man who cant
stand up to anything. In your opinion, did Amir finally stand up sufficiently? Explain by citing specific
examples from the book.
2. Throughout the novel, Amir is surprised by how much Sohrab reminds him of Hassan. Explain how
Sohrab looks and acts like his father. Give specific examples from the book to support your statements.
3. Both Amir and Soraya encounter problems in their relationships with their fathers. Compare and contrast
these relationships by using examples from the book.
4. Rahim Khan played an important part in Amirs life. Explain how Rahim influenced Amir and give
examples from the book to illustrate your opinions.
5. The Afghanistan that Amir sees when he returns to rescue Sohrab is vastly different from the Afghanistan
he knew as a child. Explain how Afghanistan has changed by giving examples from the book.
6. Zaman, the man who runs the orphanage in Afghanistan, is faced with a difficult problem of how to care
for his children. Explain his predicament and the difficult choice that he makes. Then, explain whether or
not you think he made the right decision.
7. At the opening of the novel, Amir states, I became what I am today at the age of twelve. Explain what he
means.
8. Amir finds out many years later that his father had failed to disclose his true relationship with Hassan.
Explain why Baba had withheld the truth from Amir and how their lives might have differed if Baba had
been honest with Amir.
9. Ali is one of the most memorable characters in the novel. Describe him physically, emotionally, mentally,
and socially. Give examples from the book to illustrate your points.
10. On his return trip to Afghanistan, Amir is deeply interested in an old beggar who warns him about the
Taliban. Explain why this conversation with the beggar is so important and memorable for Amir.
11. The Kite Runner contains many pivotal episodes that have a great impact on what happens later in the book.
Choose one pivotal episode. Describe what happens and explain why it is so important to later action in the
novel.
12. The Kite Runner includes several symbolic elements. Choose one item and explain its symbolism in the
novel.
13. The novel includes minor characters who greatly affect the main characters or the action of the novel.
Choose one of the minor characters and explain his or her importance to the book. Give examples to
illustrate your ideas.

14. If you had to select a different title for the book, what title would you select? Explain.
15. At the end of the book, several older men who knew Baba tell Amir that his father was a great man. In what
ways was Baba a great man? Give examples to support your statements.
16. Amirs relationship with Farid changes during their time together. Explain how and why their relationship
changes. Give examples.
17. The scene inside Ghazi Stadium is one of the disturbing scenes in the book. Describe what happens in the
stadium and explain how the crowd reacts and what effect the scene has on Amir.
18. Sohrab is clearly a disturbed young man. Explain his major fears and concerns by giving examples from the
book. How do you think Sohrab will change in the future?
19. Early in the novel, Amir states, History isnt easy to overcome. Neither is religion. In the end, I was a
Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I was Sunni and he was Shia, and nothing was ever going to change that.
Nothing. Explain this quotation and its significance.
20. Earlier in the novel, Amir remembers something he read: There are a lot of children in Afghanistan, but
little childhood. Explain the quotation and give several examples from the book to illustration your ideas.
21. The phrase For you, a thousand times over appears several times in the novel. Identify who says it and
then explain its significance in the novel.

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The Kite

Character Identification Form

Created by Edie Parrott

The Kite Runner: Characters

The Kite Runner Page 2

The Kite Runner Page 3

The Kite Runner Discussion Questions

All page numbers are from

Chapter 1: December 2001

1. Describe the narrator of the book.

2. Whose voice whispers to the narrator and what does it say?

6. Compare and contrast the narrators house to Hassans house.

The Kite Runner Page 4

19. Explain the pivotal experience from Babas childhood.

20. In what skill/talent does Amir excel? Explain.

The Kite Runner Page 5

31. What is Hassans reaction when he hears Amirs first story?

33. Describe Assef. Why are the boys so afraid of him?

35. What threat does Assef issue?

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52. How does Amir think his father will react?

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72. Why do you think Amir is so upset with Hassans loyalty?

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80. What gift does he treasure? Why?

87. What makes Baba cry for the first time?

91. Why had the men kept this a secret?

92. How has Afghanistan changed in the last couple of years?

93. How does Baba defend a young woman?

94. What happens?

97. Why does Baba attack Karim?

The Kite Runner Page 9

101. Why does Baba pick up a handful of dirt?

111. What story does Baba tell Amir about Soraya?

The Kite Runner Page 10

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137. How have the general and his wife changed?

139. What does Amir do the following week?

141. Describe Rahim Khan.

142. What is Rahim Khan unable to remember? Why is this surprising?

148. Describe Rahim Khans health.

The Kite Runner Page 12

150. What does Amir learn about Hassan?

154. What disturbing news about Ali does Hassan tell?

162. How does the letter affect Amir?

163. Describe Kabul as Hassan depicts it in his letter.

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171. On page 225, Amir calls Baba a thief. Explain.

173. What does Amir finally decide to do? Why?

175. Explain why Farid is so rude to Amir.

176. How had Amir prepared for the trip to Afghanistan?

181. What makes Amir cringe? Why?

The Kite Runner Page 14

190. Describe the orphanage.

192. Describe Zaman.

195. What does Amir learn about Sohrab?

198. Describe and explain the Street of Guests.

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213. What do the men do to Amir before they talk to him?

217. Describe Sohrab?

218. How does the man treat Sohrab?

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222. What is his mission?

223. Describe Sohrabs eyes.