The Breadwinner

1. In paragraph 30, why does Mother most likely ask Parvana if she wants to watch while she cuts her hair?

• To reassure Parvana that the haircut will look nice

• To help Parvana to accept the idea

• To punish Parvana for resisting the idea

• To force Parvana to demonstrate her obedience

In the story, Parvana’s haircut represents —

• happier times

• new responsibilities

• cultural traditions

• abandoned beliefs

Which two words best describe how Parvana feels while living under Taliban rule?

• Defeated

• Ashamed

• Invisible

• Scared

• Angry

The description of Mother’s behavior while she cuts Parvana’s hair helps the reader understand that Mother —

• cares about how Parvana feels

• does not understand Parvana’s resistance

• favors Nooria over Parvana

• can not understand Nooria’s position

This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B.

Part A
What inference can the reader make about Parvana based on paragraphs 21–24?

• Being allowed to make her own choice helps her say yes.

• Being forced into the decision makes her unwilling to cooperate.

• She wants her sister to be the one to cut her hair.

• She feels scared about the decision to cut her hair.

Part B
Which sentence from the selection best supports the answer to Part A?

• Her fingers reached up her back to see how long her hair had grown. (paragraph 21)

• They could . . . cut off her hair, but for anything more, they needed her cooperation. (paragraph 23)

• In the end, it really was her decision. (paragraph 23)

• Somehow, knowing that made it easier to agree. (paragraph 24)

Which statement best expresses a theme of the selection?

• It can be difficult to have courage in the face of challenges.

• People often use food to show their love for each other.

• The enduring love of family makes anything seem possible.

• Supporting the community is as important as supporting family.

In the last paragraph of the story, why does Mother say, “Go to sleep, my son”?

• She is tired and wishes the day would end.

• She is accepting Parvana’s new role.

• She is worrying about all her children.

• She misses Hossain and confuses Ali with him.

What is Parvana’s primary concern about assuming the role of a boy?

• She resents having to do her sister’s job.

• She is afraid that she will be recognized.

• She believes what she is doing is wrong.

• She is worried that she will be teased.

Read the thesaurus entry.

gingerly
adv: warily, guardedly, safely, hesitantly

Which synonym best matches the use of gingerly as it is used in paragraph 43?

• Safely, because Parvana does not want to mess up her hair

• Guardedly, because Parvana feels protective of her hair

• Hesitantly, because Parvana does not want to see her hair

• Warily, because Parvana feels unfamiliar with her hair