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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What was the ultimate purpose of Birkenau?
(a) The production of clothing for the German army.
(b) The detention of prisoners until the end of the war.
(c) The extermination of prisoners.
(d) The production of armaments.

2. What did Olga have to give to the blocova in order to keep her escape from the gas chamber a secret?
(a) Her toothbrush.
(b) A week's ration of margarine.
(c) Her wooden knife.
(d) Her boots.

3. How many prisoners were assigned to carry the 150-pound kettle for each meal?
(a) Four.
(b) Three.
(c) One.
(d) Two.

4. According to the author, how many serious infections were dealt with in the infirmary as a result of poor sterilization procedures?
(a) Too many to count.
(b) Over two hundred.
(c) Zero.
(d) Twenty.

5. Which of Olga's friends was also chosen for selection at the same time?
(a) Eva.
(b) Magda.
(c) Irka.
(d) Lilli.

Short Answer Questions

1. What ingredient in the bread irritated the prisoners' gums?

2. What did Olga pick up from the ground that helped her escape from the group of prisoners headed for the gas chamber?

3. What happened the day after Olga met her husband in the camp?

4. How many internees were in Olga's camp?

5. What response did the old inmate give Olga when she asked about the red brick building with the chimney?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the conditions of the work in the infirmary.

2. Why did Olga ask forgiveness from her mother and father while they waited in the train car?

3. Why did Olga relate the sensation of thirst to her memories of the concentration camp?

4. Why did Olga run from the washroom when Tadek entered?

5. What made the roll calls at the camp so difficult to endure?

6. How did Olga's life in the infirmary compare to the life she was previously leading in the camp?

7. How did Dr. and Mrs. Lengyel respond to the stories they heard about the cruelty of the Germans and their treatment of prisoners?

8. At what point did the deportees realize the true horror of their situation?

9. What dilemma did Olga face whenever her companions argued about the existence of the crematories?

10. Why did Olga blame herself for the deaths of her parents and children?

(see the answer keys)

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