Chapter Questions Persepolis

Chapter Questions for Persepolis

1. 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?

2. 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?

3. 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.

4. 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?

5. 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?

6. 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?

7. 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.

9. 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?

10. 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)?

11. 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?

12. 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?

13. 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?

14. 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?