Parvana's Journey

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Chapters 1-2

Reading Check

1. Why does the young girl tell Parvana she must leave?

2. What was Parvana’s father’s job?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why are there only men at Parvana’s father’s funeral? How does Parvana deal with this situation?

2. What is Parvana’s dilemma with finding her family? What does she decide to do in the days after her father’s funeral?

3. Who does Parvana encounter as she begins her journey? Describe the outcome of this encounter.

Paired Resource

“Who Is an Internally Displaced Person?”

• This is a UNHCR teaching resource with information about internally displaced persons (IDPs).
• This resource connects to the theme of The Senseless Nature of War.
• How are IDPs different from refugees? What category would Parvana fall under?

Chapters 3-6

Reading Check

1. According to Parvana, what did many soldiers do after bombing a village?

2. What language does Parvana speak?

3. Why does Parvana suddenly leave the village with Hassan?

4. What makes Hassan stop crying?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Who does Parvana come across in the abandoned village? What does she decide to do?

2. Where do Parvana and Hassan rest? Who do they meet at this place?

3. What historical figure does Parvana mention? Describe what Parvana and her companion do after discussing this historical figure and what they discover.

Paired Resource

“In Search of the Lost ‘Greek’ Tribe of Alexander the Great”

• The Critic’s 2022 article is on the ancient Macedonian conqueror in Afghanistan.
• This resource connects to the theme of Women in Afghanistan.
• Based on the novel and the above resource, describe the legacy that Alexander the Great left on Afghanistan.

Chapters 7-10

Reading Check

1. What difficulty does the group encounter two days into their journey?

2. How does Asif help to carry the load on their journey?

3. What do Asif and Parvana do together one night when they cannot sleep?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What tactics do Asif and Parvana use in their attempts to get food? Do they succeed? Why or why not?

2. Why does the group have upset stomachs? In what way do Parvana and Asif react, and what does this inadvertently lead them to discover?

Paired Resource

“Afghanistan”

• The United Nations Mine Action Service shares statistics, photos, and resources related to mine-clearing efforts in Afghanistan.
• This resource connects to the theme of The Effects of War on Children and The Senseless Nature of War.
• Based on the novel and the above resource, how has the presence of landmines affected people in Afghanistan?

Chapters 11-14

Reading Check

1. Who does Leila live with?

2. Where does Leila get most of her belongings?

3. What does Parvana see on Leila’s face?

4. What does Parvana teach Leila?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What decision does Parvana make after meeting Leila? What is the first order of business?

2. What is Green Valley? Describe how the children pass their time there.

Chapters 15-18

Reading Check

1. According to Parvana, what do some people think is easier to kill than a pigeon?

2. After their food runs out, what do the children eat for nourishment?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Summarize what happens to Green Valley.

2. Why is Leila upset after leaving Green Valley? What helps her?

3. What groups of people do the children encounter on their journey? Are they able to receive help? Why or why not?

Paired Resource

“Afghanistan Six Months on from the Taliban Takeover – Photo Essay”

• The Guardian’s 2022 photo essay is on life in war-torn Afghanistan. (Content Warning: Some images may be unsettling.)
• This resource connects to the theme of The Effects of War on Children and The Senseless Nature of War.
• Based on the novel as well as the above resource, compare and contrast daily life in Afghanistan in 2002 and 2022.

Chapters 19-21

Reading Check

1. What two items does the nurse give Parvana and her companions?

2. Why do men sometimes yell at Parvana in the camp?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Where do Parvana and her companions find shelter? Describe the conditions of their new accommodation.

2. Describe the scene at the minefield. Which two difficult moments happen sequentially in Parvana’s life?

Recommended Next Reads

The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis

• Ellis’s 2000 prequel centers on protagonist Parvana as she navigates daily life under the Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan.
• Shared themes include The Effects of War on Children, The Senseless Nature of War, and Women in Afghanistan.
• As the prequel to this novel, The Breadwinner focuses on many of the same topics.
• The Breadwinner on SuperSummary

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

• Khaled Hosseini’s 2003 novel follows a young boy’s friendship with his father’s servant during the changing political landscape of Afghanistan.
• Shared themes include The Effects of War on Children and The Senseless Nature of War.
• Shared topics include the Taliban, war-torn Afghanistan, poverty and insecurity during wartime, and childhood and adolescence during wartime.
• The Kite Runner on SuperSummary