69 pages • 2 hours read
Marjane SatrapiPersepolis
Nonfiction | Graphic Novel/Book | Adult | Published in 2003A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Quiz
Reading Check, Multiple Choice & Short Answer Quizzes
Reading Check questions are designed for in-class review on key plot points or for quick verbal or written assessments. Multiple Choice and Short Answer Quizzes create ideal summative assessments, and collectively function to convey a sense of the work’s tone and themes.
Introduction-Chapter 4
Reading Check
1. What does the word “Iran” mean?
2. What happened in Iran in 1979?
3.Why did Marjane’s mother dye her hair?
4. Who was Zarathustra?
5. What are the four historical periods of Iran’s “2500 Years of Tyranny and Submission”?
6. What activity does Marjane beg to do with her parents in Chapter 2?
7. Why does Marjane’s mother go to the demonstration in Chapter 4?
Multiple Choice
1. Which of the following best describes Marjane and her classmates’ attitudes toward wearing the veil?
A) delight and excitement
B) confusion and dislike
C) fear and sadness
D) apathy and disgust
2. Which of the following best describes Marjane’s relationship with religion?
A) unshakeable since her family were fundamentalist Muslims
B) skeptical since she secretly did not believe in God
C) passionate since she believed she was the next prophet
D) unorthodox since she supports the reinstitution of Zoroastrianism
3. On the first page of Chapter 2, Marjane draws herself and her friends as soldiers: the first says, “I am Fidel,” the second says, “Today, my name is Che Guevara,” and the third says, “And I want to be Trotsky.” What is the common link between these three names?
A) They are all revolutionary soldiers in the 19th century.
B) They are all supporters of the veil in Iran.
C) They are all prophets of Marjane’s religion.
D) They are all proponents of the communist ideology.
4. Which of the following best explains what Marjane learns from her father in Chapter 3?
A) the true history of her familial relations
B) the reason God chose the emperor to rule Iran
C) the importance of protesting
D) the shame surrounding the people who died in the cinema fire
Short-Answer Response
Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Who was Reza Shah? What did he do and who succeeded him?
2. Compare and contrast Marjane’s school experience in 1979 and 1980.
3. Who visits Marjane before she goes to sleep? What subjects do they talk about?
Chapters 5-9
Reading Check
1. Who is Marjane’s favorite author in Chapter 5?
2. Who is Mehri?
3. How did the Iranian people react when the Shah left Iran?
4. Fill in the blank with the missing word from Chapter 6: “As long as there is __ in the Middle East we will never have peace.”
5. What are the political affiliations of the two liberated political prisoners Marjane and her family know?
6. Based on the graphics in Chapter 7, who does Marjane find safety with?
7. Why does Marjane believe it is the end of the world in Chapter 9?
Multiple Choice
1. Which of the following best summarizes what Mehri’s love story exemplifies for Marjane?
A) the necessity of following one’s heart
B) the importance of social classes in Iranian society
C) the desire to dispose the Shah
D) the fight for freedom
2. Why is Marjane confused after the Shah leaves Iran?
A) The protests continued.
B) The people are now unhappier than before.
C) The information she knew to be true before was now being retold.
D) Her parents were now very concerned about their safety.
3. Why is the story of Uncle Anoosh important for Marjane?
A) It solidifies her belief in Trotskyism.
B) It frightens her into obeying her parents.
C) It makes her feel proud of her family’s involvement as revolutionary heroes.
D) It broadens her world views into pro-capitalist philosophies.
Short-Answer Response
Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How does Marjane’s mother react when Marjane tries to hurt Ramin? How does Marjane respond? Reflect on how her mother’s reaction shapes Marjane’s thinking in future events.
2. How does Uncle Anoosh believe the new government will unite the Iranian people?
3. Describe the events at the end of Chapter 9. Which important person does Marjane see for the last time? How does this meeting affect her relationship with God?
Chapters 10-14
Reading Check
1. What does the new government decide to do with the education system in Chapter 10?
2. Who is Pardisse?
3. What information does Marjane and her family learn from the gas station attendant?
4. According to Marjane, what is a very Persian philosophy?
5. What object are young boys given if they are selected to fight in the war?
6. What is a popular Iranian ritual that Marjane shares in Chapter 13?
7. What items does Marjane’s mother add to the windows in their home?
Multiple Choice
1. According to Marjane, which of the following best describes how many Iranian people responded to the new public dress code laws?
A) fear and apprehension
B) shame and disgust
C) delight and optimism
D) obedience and adoption
2. How does Marjane’s response to the bombing of Tehran compare to her father’s?
A) While she is anti-war, her father believes in supporting their country.
B) While she supports the war, her father supports the Iraqi government.
C) While her father is an Iranian nationalist, Marjane is a decisive pacifist.
D) While her father is concerned with the true enemy, Marjane wonders if her father loves his country.
3. Which of the following words best summarizes her family’s response to the new laws regarding parties and alcohol?
A) rebellious
B) compliant
C) disinterested
D) fearful
Short Answer
1. Why does Marjane want to visit the U.S.? Which events happen in Chapter 10 that limit this possibility?
2. Who stays with Marjane and her family in Chapter 12? Why does this happen and what does Marjane learn from this experience?
3. What are young Iranian boys told they will receive in the afterlife if they are a war hero?
4. Describe what happens to Marjane and her family on the way home from a party in Chapter 4.
Chapters 15-19
Reading Check
1. Where does Marjane skip class to go in Chapter 15?
2. How does Iran respond to the proposed ending-of-the-war settlement with Iraq and Saudi Arabia?
3. By 1982, what issue has become a bigger discussion compared to the war with Iraq?
4. Who is Khosro and what does he do?
5. Where do Marjane’s parents travel to after the borders reopen in 1983?
6. How do Marjane’s parents transport the posters?
7. What are “scuds”?
8. Why do Marjane and her parents decide to remain in Tehran?
9. What does Marjane do to the principal?
10. What advice does Marjane’s grandmother her before she leaves?
Multiple Choice
1. How does Marjane view her first attempt at smoking a cigarette?
A) a protest to the war deaths
B) a gesture to become friends with the older girls at school
C) an act of rebellion against her mother
D) a decision to take up smoking as a hobby
2. Why are Marjane’s parents concerned for her in Chapter 16?
A) She regularly attends demonstrations.
B) She is rebellious and stubborn.
C) She has become an avid fundamentalist.
D) She has decided to join Uncle Taher’s son in Holland.
Short Answer
1. What happens to Uncle Taher in Chapter 16?
2. Who are the Guardians of the Revolution? Describe Marjane’s encounter with this group.
3. Who are the Baba-Levys? What discovery does Marjane make in Chapter 18 that concerns this family?
4. What difficult decision does Marjane’s parents make in Chapter 19? How does Marjane feel?
Quizzes – Answer Key
Introduction-Chapter 4
Reading Check
1. “‘the origin of the Aryans’” (Introduction)
2. the “Islamic Revolution” (Chapter 1)
3. She was photographed protesting against the veil, so she was concerned for her own safety. (Chapter 1)
4. the first prophet before the Arab invasion (Chapter 1)
5. emperors, Arab invasion, Mongolian invasion, modern imperialism (Chapter 2)
6. protest (Chapter 2)
7. to take photos (Chapter 4)
Multiple Choice
Short-Answer Response
1. Reza Shah was the father of the last Shah of Iran. He tried to “modernize and westernize” Iran; however, when oil was discovered, Iran received attention from major world powers. He went into exile and was succeeded by his son, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. (Introduction)
2. In 1979 Marjane attended a French, non-religious school with boys, and she did not need to wear any religious covering. In 1980, the bilingual schools were closed since they were seen as “symbols of capitalism” and “decadence,” and Marjane and her female classmates were forced to wear the veil. (Chapter 1)
3. In Chapter 1, God comes to her bed every night and speaks with her about her desire to be a prophet; however, in Chapter 2, God visits only from “time to time,” and she does not want to speak with him about being a prophet. (Chapter 1-2)
Chapters 5-9
Reading Check
1. a Kurdish author named Ali Ashraf Darvishian (Chapter 5)
2. the Satrapi family’s maid (Chapter 5)
3. They celebrated. (Chapter 6)
4. oil (Chapter 6)
5. communist (Chapter 7)
6. God (Chapter 7)
7. The boy she likes is moving to the U.S. (Chapter 9)
Multiple Choice
Short-Answer Response
1. Marjane’s mother stresses the importance of forgiveness even to people who do not agree with their politics. Marjane listens, and “she had the feeling of being someone really good.” She learns in Chapter 7 that although forgiveness is good, bad people, such as the torturers of political revolutionaries, will receive justice. (Chapter 6)
2. The country cannot be united around Marxist ideals, and therefore must use nationalist and/or religious rhetoric to bond the people. Eventually, the religious leaders will retreat and the people (i.e., the proletariat) will rule. (Chapter 8)
3. Uncle Anoosh is arrested, and he requests to see Marjane as his final visitor. He is optimistic about the future of proletarian rule in Iran. After he is executed, Marjane’s personal faith is deeply affected, and she tells God to “get out.” (Chapter 8)
Chapters 10-14
Reading Check
1. close the universities (Chapter 10)
2. a friend from school who lost her father in the war (Chapter 11)
3. The Iraqi military bombed the oil refinery in Abadan. (Chapter 12)
4. “the philosophy of resignation” (Chapter 13)
5. a key (Chapter 13)
6. self-flagellation (Chapter 13)
7. masking tape and black curtains (Chapter 14)
Multiple Choice
Short-Answer Response
1. Marjane wants to go to the U.S. to see her friend Kaveh. This dream is ruined when the Islamic students take over the U.S. embassy. (Chapter 10)
2. Marjane’s mother’s childhood friend and her family stay with them for one week because their house was bombed by the Iraqi military. During this time, Marjane discusses how this family is more materialistic than theirs. Overall, Marjane sees how negative the people of Tehran are toward the internally displaced people of the country, and she feels sorry for her mother’s friend’s family. (Chapter 12)
3. Young boys are promised an afterlife with women if they die in battle. (Chapter 13).
4. Marjane and her family are stopped by an officer on the way home from a party. The officer is suspicious that Marjane’s father has been drinking and follows them home. Marjane and her grandmother are able to sneak inside and remove any items that could be used as evidence of their disloyalty to the government’s laws; however, this action is not needed since Marjane’s father is able to bribe the officer. (Chapter 14)
Chapters 15-19
Reading Check
1. a popular hamburger restaurant called “Kansas” (Chapter 15)
2. They refuse the settlement. (Chapter 15)
3. the “internal” war (Chapter 16)
4. He is an acquaintance of Marjane’s father, and he makes fake passports. (Chapter 16)
5. Turkey (Chapter 17)
6. in their coats (Chapter 17)
7. Iraqi ballistic missiles (Chapter 18)
8. so Marjane can continue her French education (Chapter 18)
9. hits her (Chapter 19).
10. to stay true to herself (Chapter 19)
Multiple Choice
1. C (Chapter 15)
2. B (Chapter 16)
Short-Answer Response
1. When Uncle Taher suffers his third heart attack, he is sent to the hospital, where he is told he needs to go to England for surgery. Marjane and her father orchestrate the sale of a fake passport for Taher, but he dies before he is able to leave. (Chapter 16)
2. The women’s branch of the Guardians of the Revolution are tasked with ensuring the compliance of women with the laws concerning modesty and the veil. Marjane is stopped by them after buying cassette tapes on the black market while wearing Nike shoes and a denim jacket. She is “miraculously” not arrested. (Chapter 17)
3. They are a Jewish family who live across from Marjane and her family. Marjane is friends with their daughter, Neda. One day, a missile hits their house, which destroys the building and kills everyone inside. (Chapter 18)
4. Her parents decide to send Marjane to Vienna to stay with a family friend. They assure her they will join her soon, but she does not know if this will happen. (Chapter 19)
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