Three Cups of Tea
Chapter 1: “Failure” (pgs. 1-6)
1.Why is Gregscaling K2?
2.What role does the setting – the high altitude and the treacherous terrain of the Himalayas – play inthe initial events of this story?
3.How much weight did Greg lose during the K2 attempt?
4.Who is Mouzafer Ali?
5.After losing sight of his friends Darsney and Mouzafer, Greg realizes he has few supplies. What is inside his purple backpack?
6.Is “Failure” an appropriate title for Chapter 1? Discuss/Explain.
Chapter 2: “The Wrong Side of the River” (pgs. 7-13)
1.During Greg’s quest to find civilization, the narrator says, “But he couldn’t drink in enough of the sight before him. He’d been in these mountains for months but that morning, it was as if he’d never seen them before.” (pg. 8) What did Greg see on this morning?
2.What is paiyu cha? Why is this significant to the story?
3.The Balti have many names and purposes for rocks. Describe them.
4.Who is Haji Ali?
Chapter 3: “I’m Going to Build You a School” (pgs. 14-18)
1.Sakina, a Balti woman, serves Greg sweet tea and offers him a second cup; what is the significance of the sweet tea?
2.What is the significance of the quilt?
3.What percentage of Korphe children who die before reaching the age of one?
4.What is Greg’s occupation?
5.In Northern Pakistan, Greg is known as “Dr. Greg.” Why?
6.Describe the school in Korphe.
7.How many girls attended school?
8.What did the school children use to write their multiplication tables?
9.In American currency, how much does a teacher cost per day?
10. What does Mortenson discover about the quality of life in Korphe, specifically in regard to healthcare and education? In what ways is the quality of life in Korphe better or worse than your own?
Chapter 4: “Growing Up” (pgs. 19-26)
1.What country did Greg’s parents serve as missionaries?
2.How old was Greg when he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro?
3.How did Greg’s sister Christa become ill?
4.What was Christa diagnosed with?
5.Why was Greg beat up on his first day in an American school?
6.What college degrees did Greg earn?
7.Where was Greg when he received the news that Christa died?
Chapter 5: “580 Letters, One Check” (pgs. 27-30)
1.What did Kishwar Syed introduce Greg to?
2.Greg’s mother invited Greg to give a presentation at her school. What happened after the students saw the presentation?
3.Greg received one check from the 580 letters he sent. Who sent the check and how much was it?
4.How much will one, five-room, Pakistani school cost to build?
5.While raising funds for the school, where did Greg live?
6.How did Greg meet Jean Hoerni?
7.When Greg received the check from Hoerni a note was attached. What did the note say?
Chapter 6: “Hard Way Home” (pgs. 31-39)
1.How did Greg get the supplies he needed to build the school?
2.Where did he store the supplies?
3.How was Greg rude to Changazi during the feast and why?
4.Where does Greg go when he leaves Changazi’s home?
Chapter 7: “Korphe at Last” (pgs. 40-43)
1.Why does Greg feel he has been “too harsh” on Changazi and the other men who tried to scheme to get a school built in their village?
2.When Greg finally arrives in Korphe, what does Sakina present with the butter tea?
3.Before the school can be built, what must happen?
Chapter 8: “A Bridge Before a school” (pgs. 44-47)
1.Greg is disappointed because he cannot complete the school and he has to return to the US to raise more money for the bridge. Why do the Korphe men not feel the same disappointment?
2.According to Dr. Louis Reichardt, Greg has hit a few what?
Chapter 9: “Hunting Ibex” (pgs. 48-54)
1.Why does Greg appreciate the response, “Inshallah” on page 49?
2.Before the cable for the bridge arrived, a rock slide closed the road. How did the cable get to the village?
3.Why did Twaha give Greg a tomar, or “badge of courage”?
4.When the hunting party returned to the village, what did they give the children?
5.Why did Greg want Hussein to be the school’s first teacher?
Chapter 10: “Building Bridges” (pgs. 55-59)
1.Why does Greg ask George McCown to help pay those working on the bridge?
2.How long did it take to complete the bridge?
3.Who donated the land to build the school?
4.What was Greg hoping the villagers could accomplish in his absence?
Chapter 11: “Six Days” (pgs. 60-66)
1.Why does Greg go to Seattle?
2.What did the man sitting at Greg’s table buy him?
3.At the dinner, Greg hears about another philanthropist who builds schools. Who is this man?
4.Greg met his future wife, Tara, at the dinner. When did they get married? Does this surprise you?
Character 12: “Beginnings” (pgs. 67-74)
1.Who helps Greg retrieve the school supplies from Changazi’s office?
2.How much of the supplies are left?
3.When Greg arrives in Korphe and the school has not been started, what is Haji Ali’s excuse?
4.Greg and Tara visit Jean Hoerni for Thanksgiving. What does he propose?
5.Who does Greg hire to work for the CAI?
6.How did the bridge empower the women of Korphe?
Chapter 13: “Haji Ali’s Lesson” (pgs. 75-83)
1.At the school construction site, what does Haji Ali instruct Greg to do? How is this situation a “culture clash”?
2.Retell, in your own words, the custom of “three cups of tea” as defined by Haji Ali. How doesembracing this custom impact Greg’s success?
3.What are some of the sacrifices the people of Korphe made in order to build this school?
4.Why does Mortenson consider Haji Ali to be the “wisest man he ever met”?
Chapter 14: “A Smile Should Be More Than a Memory” (pgs. 84-92)
1.What did Haji Ali ask Greg to do in order to stay safe while traveling? Why is he reluctant to do it?
2.Greg was invited to HajiMirza’s house for a meal. What was served?
3.Greg’s abductors leave him one item to pass the time. What is it?
4.How long is Greg held captive?
Chapter 15: “A Picture” (pgs. 93-97)
1.Why did Greg return to Korphe a few weeks after his daughter was born?
2.How does Twaha describe Greg’s manners and demeanor?
3.Why does Hoerni demand a hammer when Greg brings him a photo of the school?
4.Who cared for Hoerni during the last few weeks of his life?
Chapter 16: “New Schools – and More” (pgs. 98-106)
1.It took three years to build the first school. How long did it take to build the next three?
2.What is the “Korphe Women’s Vocational Center”?
3.Who helped Greg organize the first porter training school? What did students at the school learn?
4.The religious leader of Baltistan, SyedAbbasRisvi, convinced Greg to invest in a project. What was it?
5.Why does Greg think it is important for girls to be educated – at least to 5th grade?
Chapter 17: “Running From War” (pgs. 107-112)
1.Who is Fatima Batool?
2.List at least three reasons why a water pump is needed in Skardu.
3.How has your understanding of Muslims/ Muslim culture changed after reading this story?
Chapter 18: “Too Much to Do” (pgs. 113-118)
1.Back in the US, Greg does one presentation a week. Why?
2.What is the topic of Greg’s presentations?
3.Who is one of Greg’s role models? How do you know?
Chapter 19: “A Village Called New York” (pgs. 120-128)
1.On Sept. 10th, Greg is visiting the last settlement in Pakistan, Zuudkhan. Why?
2.Back in Kuardu, from whom does Greg receive an apology for the 9/11 attacks? How does this speech make you feel?
3.After the speech, what did the Kuardu widows give Greg and why?
4.Which two graves does Greg visit while in Korphe?
5.What was Haji Ali’s last lesson?
Chapter 20: “Afghanistan” (pgs. 129-138)
1.Why was going to Washington D.C. like being “dropped in a remote Afghan village” for Greg?
2.Greg tells congress that terror “happens because children aren’t being offered a bright enough future that they had a reason to choose life over death.” Do you agree or disagree? Why? Does Greg’s statement apply to U.S. citizens as well?
Chapter 21: “The First Educated Women in Korphe” (pgs. 139-146)
1.Who stepped through the “circle of thirty tea-sipping men” and interrupted the morning meeting?
2.What promise did Greg make to Jahan?
3.After an article about Greg appeared in Parade magazine, Greg started receiving letters and donations. Who sent these letters and how much money was raised during this time?
Chapter 22: “Stones into Schools” (pgs. 147-155)
1.What does the king give Greg?
2.Traveling toward Taloqan, Greg and Abdullah run into another obstacle. What is it?
3.Greg escapes by hiding in a truck full of what?
4.What did Commanhan Khan apologize to Greg for?