View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What did Ida's mother, Nora, change about her name?

2. What is the name of Nino's girlfriend, in late 1943?

3. Why was Carlo originally arrested by the Germans?

4. Why does Ida allow Ninuzzu to have a dog?

5. Who is Ninuzzu?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the author set the stage for the novel's action, in the first chapter?

2. Where is Gunther, at the start of the novel, and where is he going?

3. What news does Remo bring Ida, regarding Nino and the other revolutionaries, at the beginning of 1944?

4. How does Useppe sometimes affect Nino's mood?

5. How does Ida and Useppe's living situation change in 1944?

6. What happens when the monk arrives at the shelter?

7. What is Carlo's stance on violence and politics, in 1943?

8. How does Nino treat his mother when he is 16?

9. How is Ida Mancuso described, at the beginning of Chapter 2?

10. In what state is Carlo Vivaldi when he first arrives at the shelter in 1943?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There are strange and surreal events in the novel, such as Caruli's story about the dirigible, which don't make sense, and which make the reader question the validity of the rest of the events. Why does the author make the truth of these events so ambiguous? What literary purpose do they serve? Are they effective? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 2

The narrator uses phrases of uncertainty and first-person expressions when telling the story. Why does the author choose to do this? What literary purpose does this style of writing serve? Was it an effective storytelling method? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

All of the historical information presented in the novel is accurate, but it is presented in a way that allows the author to back up her own points. Does the author's presentation of the historical facts change the way the reader interprets those facts? Is the author's use of historical facts to flesh out the story effective? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 871 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample