Chapter Questions_Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

NAME: ____________________________________ DATE: ___________

THIN QUESTIONS = Simple questions that relate to the facts in the book like who, what, where, when, why.

Right There = The answers are right there in the text.

THICK QUESTIONS = Use what you already know + information in the text to come up with the answer.

Infer = Use hints/clues in the book to make an educated guess and figure out the answer.

Make Connections = Connect parts of the book to your own experiences.

Analyze & Evaluate = Answer the question by thinking about different parts of the book + your personal

knowledge of literature, history, or other subjects.

Directions: Unless the question can be answered in one word, answer the questions using complete sentences.

Type QUESTIONS ANSWER

THE VEIL (3-9)

Right There

1. What year does the book initially take place?

Right There

2. What historical event happened the

year before, in 1979?

Infer

3. In 1980, it became obligatory for

Marji and her classmates to wear the veil. Using context clues and your

own words, define obligatory.

Right There

4. In addition to wearing the veil, what

else happened at Marji’s school in 1980?

Infer 5. Describe how Marji probably felt

about the events going on around her.

6. Why is Marji’s mother afraid of having her picture taken?

7. How does Marji feel towards religion?

THE BICYCLE (10-17)

8. List the revolutionaries that Marji

pretends to be.

Right There

9. Marjane’s father describes Iran’s history as “2500 years of tyranny

and submission.” In your own words, describe the history of Iran.

10. “To enlighten me, they bought

books” (Satrapi 12). Using context clues, what does enlighten mean.

Right There

11. What happened at the Rex Cinema?

Infer

12. Why do the people think the Shah

caused the Rex fire? What evidence is there to prove this?

Analyze 13. How have Marjane’s opinions of the

Iranian revolution changed from

when she was a child?

Analyze 14. What is Marjane’s attitude toward

God and religion in the previous

chapter?

Infer 15. Why do you think God stops visiting

Marjane at the end of the chapter?

THE WATER CELL (18-25)

Infer

16. “Things started to degenerate. The army shot at them” (Satrapi 18). In your own words, what does

degenerate mean?

Right there

17. How was the emperor related to

Marji?

Right there

18. Who helps the shah/Reza take over

the emperor’s government?

Infer 19. Why do they help the shah/Reza?

What do they want?

Evaluate

20. What’s the difference between what Marjane learns in school about the Shah’s power and what

her father tells

Analyze

21. What does Marji’s grandfather

mean by his comment that, “The Emperor of Persia is not Reza Shah but the King of England”?

Right There

22. Why was Marjane’s grandfather imprisoned? What effect did this

have on his family?

• Describe a moment where you didn’t trust or you disagreed your parents or another adult in your life

about an important issue. Maybe you were not in agreement with your parent’s rules, or they have different

ethical (beliefs) or political views than you. Describe the issue and then explain both your point of view

and the point of view of your parents.

PERSEPOLIS (26-32)

23. How does Marji’s grandmother

initially respond to questions about the past?

Right There 24. How do people feel about martyrs?

Analyze 25. How is the image of the Shah on the

bottom of page 27 both symbolic

and ironic?

Analyze

26. What is ironic about what happens when a second dead man is carried out on a stretcher during a

demonstration?

27. What do the widow’s actions show

about the Persian people at this time?

THE LETTER (33- 39)

Infer 28. Why can’t Mehri marry the boy

next door?

Right There

29. Where do Mehri and Marji go on “black Friday?”

Infer 30. What is Marji’s social class? What evidence can you find for this?

Right There

31. Why does Marji feel ashamed about this?

Analyze 32. Why, do you think, did Marji’s

mom slap them?

Make a connection

33. Have you ever experienced a similar reaction from someone who was taking care of you?

Evaluate

34. Do you think Marjane’s father did the right thing by ending the

crush? Why?

35. How is this realization connected

to the revolution?

36. What happened on Black Friday?

Why?

What painful lesson did Marji learn?

Analyze 37. Identify the irony and symbolism

in the picture on 38.

Evaluate

38. Respond to Marji’s father’s statement on page 37: “Because in

this country you must stay within your own social class.” What does he mean and what do you think?

39. What is a social class? Are there

social classes in America? What are they?

40. What is an economic class?

THE PARTY (40-46) NAME:

41. Why does Jimmy Carter refuse to give the Shah save haven in the

U.S.?

42. Why do the children want to punish Ramin?

Analyze 43. Why would people lie about

being involved with the protests?

THE HEROES (47-53)

44. Why did Marji assume that

Siamak was dead?

Make a connection

45. Look at the crimes committed by Mohsen and Siamak. What do you think of their crimes?

46. What do you think of the punishment they had received?

47. What effect do their stories have on Marjane?

Quotation and Meaning

“ Bad people are dangerous, but forgiving them is

too. Don’t worry, there is justice on earth.”

1. In your own words, describe what the quote above

means:

2. Do you agree with the meaning of the Quote?

(Circle One)

Yes No

3. Explain why:

4. Should a person forgive evil actions, or should a

person seek justice?

Example

5. Describe a situation you have been in where you

have forgiven someone who hurt you. Include the

Who, What, Why, When, and Where.

6. Describe a situation you have been in where you

did NOT forgive someone who hurt you. Include the

Who, What, Why, When, and Where.

MOSCOW (54-61) NAME: 48. Who is the hero in Marji’s

family?

Right There

49. How long was he imprisoned?

Infer 50. Why is Marji excited about her uncle Fereydon?

THE SHEEP (62-71) 51. Who (what group) will lead the

Islamic Republic?

52. What happened to Mohsen? The

other revolutionaries?

53. Why did they tell Marji that Uncle Anoosh went to Russia?

Right There 54. Compare and contrast what Marji

worries about with what the adults around her worry about.

Analyze 55. What do we know about Anoosh

by his talk about the

“proletariat”?

Analyze 56. Do you think Marji understands what Anoosh is talking about?

Analyze 57. Why, do you think, was Anoosh called a “Russian spy” in the paper?

58. Why does Anoosh request to see

Marjane when he's in prison? How does Marjane react when she gets the news of his death?

THE TRIP (72-79)

59. Who are fundamentalists?

60. What was the US Embassy

hostage situation (Iran hostage crisis)?

61. Why were the universities closed?

62. Why are women told to wear the

veil?

63. Would Marji’s family be considered liberal or

conservative/fundamental? Why?

Infer

64. Was everyone being genuine

about their religious dress and behavior? Why or why not?

65. What are the differences between

Marji’s perspective on the war and Pardisse’s? Explain why they

have their different perspectives.

66. While the family is on vacation in

Italy and Spain, what happens?

67. What changes do the new fundamentalist government make

in Iran? How does Marjane's family react?

68. How does Marjane react to the

announcement that Iraq has invaded Iran? How is she dressed in the last frame of the chapter

(79)?

THE F-14S (80-86)

What is the difference between being

Persian and Arab?

What happens to the Iranian fighter

pilots that have been kept in jail?

Why do you think Marjane thinks her

father is unpatriotic for saying he won't fight in the war (81)? Do you

think she is right?

In the last frame of the chapter, Pardisse says she wishes her father

"were alive and in jail rather than dead and a hero." Do you think you

would feel the same way in her place?

THE JEWELS (87-93)

Why is there no oil in Tehran anymore?

Why would the authorities punish Marji for wearing makeup?

Make a

connection

How do you feel about what Marji

did to save herself? Explain why.

How do the people of Tehran treat

the refugees (especially women) like Mali and her family?

What effect does the war have on

daily life in Tehran? How do people,

including Marjane's parents, act differently?

THE KEY (94-102)

What does the appearance of the

nuptial chambers tell us?

Why does Marji think that she and her classmates are so rebellious?

What does the golden plastic key represent?

Why do you think Mrs. Nasrine’s son was given a key but Marji’s cousin

Peyman was not?

Analyze What does Marji mean when she says, “to be able to party, you had to

have means.”

What is the purpose of a "nupital

chamber," and why are there so many of them in Tehran?

In this chapter, adults seek to

influence the younger population of Iran in different ways. How do Marjane and her schoomates defy

their teachers? And what is the significance of the "golden" key

given to boys?

On the last page of the chapter (102), There are only two frames. Compare and contrast their images and their

messages. (They look similar but show opposite experiences--what

does this say about life and war?)

THE WINE (103-110)

How did the black curtains serve dual

purposes?

Marjane's family enjoys having

parties and drinking--what precautions do they take, and why do they continue despite the danger of

being found out? Why do people seek to keep their regular routines

even in dangerous

THE CIGARETTE (111-117)

What does Marji do the second time she breaks the rules?

How old was Marji when she

smoked her first cigarette?

What understanding does Marjane

come to about the war? Why could it have been avoided?

In the last frame, she announces that "with this first cigarette, I kissed childhood goodbye." Do you believe

her? What does it take to go from being a child to an adult?

THE PASSPORT (118-125)

What is the internal war?

Who is the director at the hospital?

How did he become so?

What happened to Marji’s uncle during his waiting period?

Why is the Iranian government so strict about letting people out of the country, even if they are gravely ill

like uncle Taher?

Why is it ironic that his passport

finally arrives on the day of his funeral?

KIM WILDE (126-134)

How do Marji’s parents bring her back her presents from Turkey?

Why do the guardians stop Marji?

Why does American pop culture have

such an influence on Marjane and kids

her age? Why are she and her family willing to take such risks to have

tapes, posters, and jean jackets?

THE SHABBAT (135-142) How was Marji’s mother able to

determine the fate of the Baba-

Levy’s?

Why does Marjane's family decide to stay in Tehran, despite the constant

threat of bombing?

How does the bombing on her street affect Marjane? Have you ever come

home to a major crisis or disaster like she did? How did it change you?

THE DOWRY (143-153)

What is the significance of the dowry

during the Islamic Revolution?

How much was the dowry? What is

this in US dollars?

Where do Marji’s parents decide to send her following her troubles in the Iran schools?

Marjane is outspoken at all times--how does this hurt her, and what decision does it lead her parents to

make?

What advice does Marjane's grandmother give her the night

before she leaves? How do you think Marjane might use this advice once she is in Austria?