I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Prologue-Chapter 3

Reading Check

1. Malala begins the book by saying that Pakistan was created at what time of day?

2. Malala’s father was born with what quality that Malala describes as a “terrible thing” for someone who loved words and poetry so much?

3. Malala’s father rallies against unquestioningly petitioning what controversial book, believed to be anti-Islamic by his peers?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Describe the scene when Malala is born in Chapter 1. What happens that demonstrates that the culture in Swat is a patriarchal one?

2. When Malala’s father was a teenager, he dreamed of being a jihadist. As described in Chapter 2, why did his path in life shift? 

Paired Resource

Malala Yousafzai On Her Life’s Work to Help Girls Around the World

• Malala appears on the TODAY show in 2022 to discuss winning the Catalyst Award, a prize for individuals who use their platform to inspire social action.
• In this clip, Malala discusses the urgent need around promoting knowledge and education, particularly for girls and women, since so many ills of the world are borne from ignorance.