Suggested Answers To Short Quiz

[johnkarls]

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SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO SHORT QUIZ - STONES INTO SCHOOLS

Question 1

Who said - "This week I watched Greg Mortenson, the famed author of 'Three Cups of Tea,' open one of his schools for girls in a remote Afghan village in the Hindu Kush mountains. I must say, after witnessing the delight in the faces of those little Afghan girls crowded three to a desk waiting to learn, I found it very hard to write, 'Let's just get out of here'"?

Answer 1

Thomas Friedman, NY Times Op-Ed Columnist.

Question 2

Who said - "What Greg understands better than most - and what he practices more than anyone else I know - is the simple truth that all of us are better off when all of us have the opportunity to learn, especially our children. By helping them learn and grow, he's shaping the very future of a region and giving hope to an entire generation"?

Answer 2

Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest-ranking active-duty person in all of the U.S. Armed Forces and the chief military adviser in the Pentagon to the U.S. Secretary of Defense.

Question 3

Who is constantly saying - "If you teach a boy, you educate an individual; but if you teach a girl, you educate a community"? Where does the quotation come from originally?

Answer 3

Our author, Greg Mortenson. It is a famous proverb in Tanzania where Mortenson was born in 1957 and spent the first 15 years of his life. His father was a missionary and the founder and development director of Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center, Tanzania’s first teaching hospital, and his mother, Dr. Jerene Mortenson, founded the International School Moshi.

Question 4

As of our August 2009 meeting focusing on "Three Cups of Tea," how many of Mortenson's schools were in operation? How many are in operation today?

Answer 4

In August 2009, Mortenson had 81 schools in operation, including 15 in Afghanistan. Most were for girls.

Today, he has 130 in operation with most of the new ones in Afghanistan. Most of the new ones are for girls.

Question 5

How many schools, primarily for girls, does Mortenson claim were bombed, burned or shut down by Al Qaeda and the Taliban in 2007-2008?

Answer 5

Mortenson stated that the Taliban and its allies have bombed, burned or shut down more than 640 schools in Afghanistan and 350 schools in Pakistan, of which about 80 percent are schools for girls. However, virtually none of these were Mortenson’s schools (please see Q&A 7 below).

Question 6

What is the meaning of "Three Cups of Tea" - the title of Greg Mortenson's original book?

Answer 6

“Three Cups of Tea” was explained in 1993 by Haji Ali (Village Chief, Karakoram Mountains, Pakistan) to our author, Greg Mortenson, when he stumbled into the impoverished village after a failed attempt to climb K2 – “Here (in the mountain region spanning the Pakistan-Afghanistan border), we drink three cups of tea to do business – the first you are a stranger, the second you become a friend, and the third, you join our family, and for our family we are prepared to do anything, even to die.”

Question 7

How has Greg Mortenson been able two survive opposition from angry Islamic clerics for educating girls, including two fatwas to assassinate him?

Answer 7

Because of community 'buy-in', which involves getting villages to donate free land, subsidized or free labor ('sweat equity'), free wood and resources, the schools have local support and have been able to avert retribution by the Taliban or other groups opposed to girls' education.

Question 8

How much does it cost/month for each child's education in one of Greg Mortenson's schools in the mountains along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border?

Answer 8

Only $1.00/month!!!

Question 9

What was the original sub-title of "Three Cups of Tea" dictated by Penguin books? What was the sub-title Mortenson was able to persuade the publisher to substitute for the paper-back version?

Answer 9

Penguin Books hardcover title = “Three Cups of Tea – One Man’s Mission To Fight Terrorism And Build Nations…One School At A Time”

Mortenson’s original title used for the paperback version = “Three Cups of Tea – One Man’s Mission To Promote Peace…One School At A Time”

Question 10

What is Mortenson's attitude toward the Taliban? Toward ordinary Afghans? Toward the American military?

Answer 10

Mortenson cannot abide the attitude of the Taliban toward education, particularly education of girls.

Mortenson believes ordinary Arghans are the proverbial “salt of the earth”!!!

Greg Mortenson has been building schools in Pakistan/Afghanistan since 1994 – long before 9/11/2001 and the commencement on 10/7/2001 of our war in Afghanistan. Thomas Friedman (NY Times Op-Ed Columnist) claims Mortenson has “changed his views: ‘The U.S. military has gone through a huge learning curve. They really get it. It’s all about building relationships from the ground up, listening more and serving the people of Afghanistan.’”