About the book
Where and when does each of the novel’s two storylines take place?
What are New York City on September 11, 2001, and Afghanistan on September 11, 2019?
Why did the United States invade Afghanistan in 2001?
What is attacking al-Qaeda and removing the Taliban government that sheltered it after September 11?
This movement governed most of Afghanistan before the U.S. invasion and sheltered al-Qaeda.
What are the Taliban?
What are the capitals of the two countries?
Washington, DC and Kabul
This religion is practiced by the vast majority of Afghanistan’s population.
What is Islam?
Brandon gets suspended after punching a bully who has taken this belonging from his friend.
What are Wolverine gloves?
Which power invaded Afghanistan in 1979, and how did the conflict connect to the Cold War?
What is the Soviet Union, supporting Afghanistan’s communist government against resistance fighters backed by the United States, Pakistan and others?
This is the name of the leader of Al-Qaeda when 9/11 took place.
Who is Osama bin Laden?
This country lies east and south of Afghanistan and appears across the mountains from Reshmina’s home.
What is Pakistan
This many commercial airplanes were hijacked on September 11, 2001.
What is 4?
How does the novel distinguish between seeking justice and seeking revenge?
What is the difference between holding wrongdoers accountable and retaliating in ways that continue a cycle of violence?
Was Iraq responsible for September 11?
What is: no!
This global rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union shaped foreign involvement in Afghanistan.
What is the Cold War
Name three countries that border Afghanistan.
What are Pakistan, Iran and China?
Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are also acceptable.
This five-sided building houses the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense.
What is the Pentagon?
Explain how the title Ground Zero relates to both settings.
What are the World Trade Center’s destruction site and, symbolically, Reshmina’s devastated community?
The president of the US when 9/11 took place.
Who is George W. Bush?
Afghan resistance fighters opposing Soviet forces were commonly known by this name.
What are mujahideen?
These are the kinds of trees that used to tower over the landscape around Reshmina's village
What are cedars?
The September 11 attacks killed approximately this many people, excluding the hijackers.
What is 3000?(The exact number is 2,977.)
What connection between the two storylines is revealed toward the end?
Who is Brandon, now grown up and serving as the soldier called Taz?
This movement returned to power once again as the Afghan government collapsed in August 2021.
Who are the Taliban?
Although al-Qaeda operated from Afghanistan, this many of the nineteen September 11 hijackers were Afghan nationals.
What is zero?
One language spoken in Afghanistan
Dari or Pashto
A type of outer garment worn by some Muslim women which fully covers the body and the face.
What is a burqa?