A Thousand Splendid Suns Vocabulary | 10 Essential Words | Khaled Hosseini

Study 10 essential vocabulary words from Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns, including myriad, martyr, and solace, with definitions, book examples, and a practice quiz.

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Essential Vocabulary

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

High School Grades 10-12 10 Key Words Historical Fiction - 2007

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These 10 words trace the emotional texture of A Thousand Splendid Suns, from the brusque and churlish cruelty Rasheed brings into his household to the quiet, rueful strength Mariam and Laila draw on to survive it. Several words describe how people speak or act toward others, brusque, churlish, impudent, pious, while others describe larger states of being, myriad, ubiquitous, sullen, solace, martyr. Learning these words in context makes them easier to recall on both a literature exam and the SAT, since terms like martyr and solace appear constantly in essay prompts about sacrifice and endurance.

Word List

Word	Part of Speech	Definition	Example from the Book
Myriad	adjective	A very great or countless number of things or people; too many to easily count	"As Kabul falls under siege, Laila's neighborhood fills with myriad refugees streaming in from the countryside."
Ubiquitous	adjective	Present, appearing, or found everywhere at once	"Under Taliban rule, the blue burqa becomes ubiquitous on the streets of Kabul."
Brusque	adjective	Abrupt or blunt in speech or manner, often to the point of seeming rude	"Rasheed's brusque commands toward Mariam and Laila set the tone of the household from the first days of each marriage."
Rueful	adjective	Expressing sorrow or regret, often in a quiet or bittersweet way	"Mariam looks back with a rueful understanding on the years she spent believing her mother's warning."
Martyr	noun	A person who suffers greatly or dies for the sake of a belief, cause, or another person	"By the novel's final chapters, Mariam becomes something close to a martyr, accepting her fate so Laila and her children can escape."
Churlish	adjective	Rude or ill-mannered in a mean-spirited or bad-tempered way	"Rasheed's churlish treatment of both his wives reveals the casual cruelty that shapes daily life in the house."
Pious	adjective	Devoutly religious; showing sincere reverence for one's faith and its duties	"Mullah Faizullah's pious, gentle teaching gives young Mariam one of the only sources of warmth in her isolated childhood."
Sullen	adjective	Bad-tempered and gloomy, often showing silent resentment rather than open anger	"During the hardest years of the war, Laila grows sullen and withdrawn, retreating into silence."
Impudent	adjective	Not showing proper respect for another person; bold and disrespectful in speech or behavior	"Laila's willingness to speak back to Rasheed, seen by him as impudent, marks the first real crack in his control over her."
Solace	noun	Comfort or relief received during a time of great distress or sorrow	"Mariam finds solace in her growing friendship with Laila and in caring for Aziza."

Look-Alike Words

Commonly Confused · A Great Number vs. Present Everywhere

Myriad

A very great or countless number of things or people.

Ubiquitous

Present, appearing, or found everywhere at once.

Tip: Myriad refugees fill Laila's neighborhood, a huge but countable number of people. The burqa becomes ubiquitous under Taliban rule, meaning it appears everywhere, not that there are countless burqas.

Related but Distinct · Blunt in Speech vs. Openly Mean-Spirited

Brusque

Abrupt or blunt in speech or manner, often seeming rude.

Churlish

Rude or ill-mannered in a mean-spirited or bad-tempered way.

Tip: Rasheed's commands are brusque, short and blunt. His mockery of his wives' cooking goes further, into something more deliberately unkind: churlish.

Commonly Confused · Quiet Regret vs. Silent Anger

Rueful

Expressing sorrow or regret, often in a bittersweet way.

Sullen

Bad-tempered and gloomy, showing silent resentment.

Tip: Mariam's rueful understanding looks back on her past with regret and clarity. Laila's sullenness is a wartime shield, silent withdrawal rather than reflection.

Vocabulary Video

Watch - Essential Vocabulary from A Thousand Splendid Suns

Practice Quiz

A Thousand Splendid Suns - Vocabulary Quiz

Question 1 of 10

As Kabul falls under siege, Laila's neighborhood fills with __________ refugees streaming in from the countryside.

Question 2 of 10

Under Taliban rule, the blue burqa becomes __________ on the streets of Kabul, transforming women into identical, faceless shapes.

Question 3 of 10

Rasheed's __________ commands toward Mariam and Laila set the tone of the household from the very first days of each marriage.

Question 4 of 10

Mariam looks back with a __________ understanding on the years she spent believing her mother's warning that a harami would never truly be wanted.

Question 5 of 10

By the novel's final chapters, Mariam becomes something close to a __________, accepting her fate so that Laila and her children are able to escape Rasheed.

Question 6 of 10

Rasheed's __________ treatment of both his wives, mocking their cooking and dismissing their opinions, reveals the casual cruelty of the house.

Question 7 of 10

Mullah Faizullah's __________, gentle teaching gives young Mariam one of the only sources of warmth in her early, isolated childhood.

Question 8 of 10

During the hardest years of the war, Laila grows __________ and withdrawn, retreating into silence as a way of surviving the loss around her.

Question 9 of 10

Laila's willingness to speak back to Rasheed, seen by him as __________ for a woman in his household, marks the first real crack in his control over her.

Question 10 of 10

Mariam finds __________ in her growing friendship with Laila and in caring for Aziza, discovering a family warmth she never had as a child.

out of 10 correct

Full explanations for every question appear below after you check your answers.

Answer Key & Explanations

1Myriad. A huge, countless number of refugees streaming into a neighborhood is exactly what myriad describes.

2Ubiquitous. An item appearing everywhere at once, on every street, is exactly what ubiquitous means.

3Brusque. Short, abrupt commands with no room for conversation are exactly what brusque describes.

4Rueful. Looking back on past pain with quiet regret and understanding is exactly what rueful means.

5Martyr. Accepting one's own fate so that someone else can be saved is exactly what a martyr does.

6Churlish. Deliberately mocking and mean-spirited treatment of others is exactly what churlish describes.

7Pious. Sincere, devout religious teaching offered with gentleness is exactly what pious describes.

8Sullen. Withdrawing into silent, bad-tempered gloom rather than open anger is exactly what sullen means.

9Impudent. Speaking back without the respect someone in power expects is exactly what impudent describes.

10Solace. Comfort and relief found through friendship during a time of great sorrow is exactly what solace means.

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