Vocabulary
When the Ayatollah took over, he made the government religious, not ____________.
secular
Marji
Answers may vary. Educated, smart, brave, curious, immature, competitive, jealous, etc.
Tehran, Iran during the 1970s
setting
"You are the little girl I always wanted to have."
Marji's Uncle Anoosh says this to her when she visits him for the last time in prison, just before he is executed. He thinks of her as a daughter to him, and this is why he requested her as his last visitor.
If you try to bring fireworks onto an airplane, a security guard will ________________ them.
confiscate
I _____________ to raise my hand when I'm not sure of the correct answer.
hesitate
Marji's mother
Answers may vary. Protective, secular, courageous, educated, victimized, political
Marji's grandmother can be described as loving because she encourages Marji's dream of becoming a prophet.
characterization
"She's coming too. She should start learning to defend her rights as a woman right now!"
Marji's mother tells her husband that Marji will attend the demonstration with her in order to stand up for her rights.
How is Marji’s life affected by the hostage crisis and the closing of universities?
She can't get a visa to visit her friend in the U.S. and she can't pursue her dream of studying chemistry in college.
He broke away from the army and became a ____________ fighter. When he was killed, they called him a _____________ because he died fighting for his beliefs.
guerilla, martyr
Marji's father
Answers may vary. Protective, educated, secular, courageous
conflict
"At the age that Marie Curie first went to France to study, I'll probably have ten children."
Marji says this when she learns that universities in Iran have closed and she won't be able to pursue her dream of studying chemistry.
They are worried they won't be able to get good jobs in the U.S.
OR
They believe that Iran is just going through a tough time but it will pass. They say their friends are afraid.
After the Iranian Revolution, it became ________________ for women to wear the veil. Women who were more ____________ would let a few strands of hair show.
obligatory, subversive
Uncle Anoosh
Answers may vary. Brave, Communist, revolutionary, bitter, divorced, hero, loving, fatherly
The people of Iran are sheep.
Metaphor
"Shut up, you! Get out of my life!!! I never want to see you again!"
Marji says this to God. She is angry at him when her favorite uncle, Anoosh, is executed.
What is "Black Friday" in Iran?
A particularly violent day of demonstrations during the revolution when a lot of people died
We protested against the _____________ of the cruel, unfair king. He lived in ______________ while the rest of us were poor and had nothing.
tyranny, decadence
Mehri
Answers may vary. Uneducated, illiterate, bold, daring, brokenhearted, sad, romantic, etc.
The swan made out of bread that Anoosh gives Marji represents hope for the future.
symbolism
"In this country, you must stay within your own social class."
Marji's father says that social class is important and unchangeable in Iran. Mehri, the maid, cannot marry the boy she likes (the neighbor) because she is poor and illiterate and he is of a higher class. People must live by these traditional rules.
What happened at the Rex Cinema?
A fire was set while over 400 people were locked inside. People argued over who caused it - many blamed the Shah, but supporters of the Ayatollah were found responsible.