Kite Runner Full Answer Key

Who does Amir meet who once knew his mother?

A homeless man who used to be a professor

Amir tells Rahim at first that he cannot go to Kabul because he has a wife in American, a home, a career, and a family. What makes him changed his mind and go to Kabul?

Amir realizes that his actions years ago prevented Hassan from same things in his life

Why does Amir want to win the kite tournament so badly?

Amir reapplies this is a way to gain his father's love and affection and finally make him proud

Describes Amir's birthday party?

Amir's party is very extravagant. There are over 400 guests the yard is decorated with light, the finest food available, one of the most popular musicians in the country performs and at the end there are fireworks

What do Amir and Faird see two men haggling over in the street?

An artificial leg

What did Amir's father build during Amir's early childhood?

An orphanage

What shocking news does Rahim tell Amir?

That Amir's father is also Hassan's father; they are half brothers

Who is Rahim Khan?

The best friend and business partner of Amir's father

At what age does Amir graduate?

20

What does Amir have a hard time forgetting about after leaving the flea market?

A beautiful girl he met

What do Hassan and Ali give Amir for his birthday?

A brand new copy of Shanhnamah with hand draw illustrations that was most likely expensive

What does it mean to "run" a kite?

A kite runner is someone who runs all around the city trying to catch a falling kite before it lands

What does the director of the orphanage say happened to Sohrab?

A man from the Taliban occasionally comes to take the child for his personal pleasure. Sohrab was the child he chose to take the last time

What does Rahim give Amir?

A photo of Hassan and his son and a letter from Hassan to Amir

Where do Amir and his father wait with the others trying to leave Afghanistan as a new truck parts are ordered?

A rat infested basement

What does General Taheri catch Amir giving to Soraya?

A short story he wrote

How did Hassan's son get his name?

After Hassan's favorite character in a children's story

How did Amir's family come to know Ali?

Ali's parents were hit by impaired drivers. The drivers were brought before Amir's grandfather, the judge alone with the orphaned son, Ali. After the trial, Amir's grandfather adopted Ali, and he was raised alongside Amir's father.

What does Amir do to get Ali and Hassan in trouble?

Amir hides his new watch and some money under Hassan's mattress to make it look like he was stealing from them

Compare and contrast the type of homes Amir and Hassan live in.

Amir lives in one of the fanciest mansions in the city, while Hassan lives in a small mud hut on the same property.

Compare and contrast how Amir and Soraya treated their illiterate servants when they were young.

Amir made fun of Hassan for not knowing what words mean t and made him feel dumb while Soraya taught her servant to read and write

What prompts Amir to write his first story?

Amir pretends to be reading a book to Hassan but is really just making something up. Hassan loves the tale and says it's the best he's heard in a long time. This gives Amir confidence in his story-telling abilities and encourages him to write his own story.

What occurs between Amir and Hassan at the top of the hill in the cemetery?

Amir pummels Hassan with pomegranates over and over, taunting his to fight back.

What does Amir wish was present at his wedding what does he wonder about at his wedding?

Amir wishes Rahim Khan was at his wedding and wonders if Hassan ever married

Assef says, "Too late for Hitler, but not for us." What does he mean?

Asset wants the new leader of Afghanistan to get rid of all the Hazara decedents so that it is only the Pashtuns who are left.

What does Amir find out about Baba's health?

Baba has advanced form of cancer that cannot be cured

What does Soraya want to do with her life?

Be a teacher

What is the color of the last kite in the tournament?

Blue

Why does Amir compare the look in Hassan's eyes while Assef is hurting him to the look in the lamb's eyes before it is killed for food?

Both have a look of acceptance and understanding and are resigned to enduring it for a higher purpose

What harm can come from Amir talking to Soraya without the formal permission and supervision from her father?

Everyone would gossip about her and equate her to being "easy" for talking to him

What name does Assef call Ali?

Flat-Nose

What us Rahim's dying wish?

For Amir to rescue Hassan's son from the orphanage in Kabul and bring him to Pakistan

What is Assef's mother?

German

What does Amir do that prompts his father to tell him he is proud of his son?

Graduates from high school

How does Hassan try to rekindle his relationship with Amir?

Hassan asks Amir to run errands with him, but Amir refuses to go.

How does Hassan act in the weeks following the kite fighting tournament?

Hassan does his chores and then sleeps as much as possible

Who shows up at Amir's old house one day in old blue burqa?

Hassan's mother

What do Amir and Soraya try desperately to do, but are unsuccessful?

Have a child

Describe Amir's relationship with his father after winning the kite tournament.

He and his father spend a lot of time together. His father takes Amir to the movies they visit the zoo, and go on trips.

What does Amir say happened to him at the age of 12?

He became the person he is today

What great accomplishment happens in regards to Amir's career?

He becomes a published author

How does Amir's father react when Ali quits?

He begs them not to leave and cries

Why does Farid try to kill the director of the orphanage?

He finds out that he selling children for sexual purposes to the Taliban

What is physically odd about Hassan?

He has a cleft lip

What is Karim's job?

He is a people smuggler, he gets people out of Afgahnistan

What is Assef's reputation around town?

He is a sociopath who carries brass knuckles with him and enjoys hurting others

Why does the man at the orphanage say he has never seen Sohrab?

He is afraid that they are going to hurt him

Describe Ali.

He is an honorable man who memorized the Koran. He is also partially crippled and the lower part of his face in crippled.

What happens to Hassan after he has caught the last fallen tournament kite?

He is raped by Assef.

What skill did Hassan learn later in life?

He learned to read and write

How does Amir find Sohrab since Sohrab is gone from the orphanage?

He meets a man with dark sunglasses at the soccer stadium the next

What does Amir have to wear as he travels to Kabul?

He must wear a traditional Afghan clothing and fake beard

What does Amir's father get Hassan for his birthday?

He pays for Hassan to have surgery to fix his cleft lip

How does Amir's father react when he is given food stamps?

He returns them and say he will work for money for food. He says he doesn't need charity.

What did Amir say as he lay awake in the room of sleeping relatives in Jalalabad?

He saw Hassan get raped

How does Amir react the first time he sees the Taliban?

He stares at the men as they drive by. He is filled with fear and can't quite get over seeing them in person rather than on the news

What does Hassan do to save both himself and Amir from Assef?

He takes out his slingshot and aims a rock at Assef's eye. Assef knows that is he moves to attack he will be blinded

What does Amir do when he sees what is happening to Hassan?

He turns the other way and makes the choice to not help Hassan

How did Rahim get the scar on his face?

He was at a soccer game when a man with the Taliban hit him in the face with his gun

Amir listens to his father speak with Kamal's father. What does he say happened to Kamal?

He was beaten up and raped by four people

How did Ali die?

He was killed by a land mine

What story does Rahim tell Amir on his birthday?

He was once going to get married to a Hazara, but when his family found out they sent her away forever

How did Hassan die?

He was shot in the street by the Taliban

What signs from his childhood does Amir think of that support this idea that his father is also Hassan's father?

His dad paid for Hassan's hairlip to be fixed, he never missed his birthday, he called Hassan family when Amir asked him if would ever get new servants and he cried the day Ali and Hassan left

Amir thinks Wahid's children are envious of his wristwatch so he gives it to them as a gift. What does Amir later discover they really want?

His food

What does Amir say to Soraya in the mirror on their wedding day?

I love you

Amir and his father are enjoying their new relationship until Amir asks him a question that angers him. What is this question?

If he's ever thought about getting new servants

Where do Hassan and his family stay when they move back to Amir's home with Rahim?

In the small hut Hassan was raised in

Why doesn't Farid go with Amir to meet the man in white with the sunglasses to ask about Sohrab?

It is too dangerous

What city do Amir & Hassan live in as kids?

Kabul

Even though it is really hot what are all the soccer players wearing?

Long pants

What problem occurs at the first checkpoint?

One of the soldiers wants to rape an Afghan woman on the bus, but Amir's father stand up and refuses to let it happen

To what country do Amir and his father first seek for safety from Afghanistan?

Pakistan

Describe the Afghanistan Amir sees upon his return.

Poverty everywhere. Most of the city is destroyed and the Taliban roam and the streets looking for trouble

How Amir find out Rahim Khan is sick?

Rahim calls Amir and asks him to come to Pakistan to see him

What favorite pastime does Amir have that his father just can't stand?

Reading

What country has presence in Afghanistan as Amir and his father leave?

Russia

What happened to Amir's mother?

She dies of hemorrhaging while giving birth to Amir

What does Soraya's mother think of Amir's talking to her daughter without permission?

She has no problem with it and hopes the two will get married

What happened to Hassan's mother?

She ran off with a clan of traveling singers and dancers

What does Soraya do while Amir is at work when they are first married?

She takes care of Amir's father day and night

What is Soraya's mother never allowed to do in public by orders of her husband?

Sing

Why does Amir's father buy an old Volkswagen bus?

So they can go to garage sales and load up on cheap stuff to sell for a profit at the flea market

What does Soraya confess to Amir?

That she has been with another man

What happens at half-time during the soccer game?

The Taliban stones two people to death

What gift does Assef give Amir for his birthday?

The biography of Hitler

What does Amir look for when he climbs the hill to the cemetery where he and Hassan used to play?

The carving on the tree

Why do people have bloody hands after flying a kite?

The kite string is covered in glass to help cut down other kites and win the tournaments. When flying a kite and guiding it, the person's hands get cut from the glass on the string.

Who is Farid?

The man driving Amir to Kabul

What was the cause of all the gunfire and bombing that took place after Amir read Hassan his story?

The monarchy had overthrown in a coup.

What is the best prize to have during the kite fighting tournament?

The most coveted prize is catching the last kite to fall from the sky

Why does Amir get so angry when his father refers to Assef as Assef jan?

The word "jan" is a term of endearment one that Amir's father never uses when he talks to Amir

Amir's father says there is only one sin in the world. What is it?

Theft

How do Amir and his father travel on the second leg of their trip to safety?

They are put into an empty fuel tank with several others. There is absolutely no light, the air they breathe is full of gasoline fumes, and they cannot move or get out for quite some time

What type of lifestyle do the Afghan people live in Pakistan?

They are very poor. Some open businesses but they are struggling to stay alive in very crowded areas

How did the people of Afghanistan react when the Taliban took control of the country?

They were so happy they celebrated and danced in the streets

When Amir's father tries to use a check to purchase food, he is shocked that he is asked for ID. He can't believe the lack of trust in America. Instead of a credit card, what method did they use in Afghanistan?

They would snap a tree branch and use it as a credit card. The merchant would make a notch each time something was purchased and at the end of the month they would pay for the number of notches

What one last request does Amir have for his father after he is released from the hospital?

To arrange a marriage with Soraya

Farid is resentful to Amir and treats him with contempt. What makes his suddenly change his attitude?

When he fins out Amir is trying to rescue and orphan and get him to safety

What is every kids favorite season in Kabul?

Winter