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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. Where is Helmut born?
(a) Munich.
(b) Cologne.
(c) Auschwitz.
(d) Berlin.

2. What makes the children start to fight when Mutti speaks with the farmer?
(a) The twins want candy.
(b) Juri hits Leisel for waking him up.
(c) Peter wakes up crying.
(d) Lore pinches Leisel for trying to open the door.

3. What does the farmer's son tell Lore?
(a) Vati and Mutti are evil.
(b) His father is going to evict her family.
(c) Mutti is trying to get rid of the children but no one wants them.
(d) Vati is probably with the Russians.

4. What does Lore have to give up to get more food and shelter for a night?
(a) Their twins' extra clothing and boots.
(b) The rest of their money.
(c) Mutti's wedding ring.
(d) Mutti's earrings.

5. What happens when Americans question Lore on the road?
(a) Lore tells them she is on the way to Fulda.
(b) She cannot understand so she ignores them and walks on.
(c) The young man shows them papers and tells them they are siblings on their way to Oma's.
(d) Lore tells them they are with the young man.

Short Answer Questions

1. How do Helmut's parents deny his birth defect?

2. What opportunity opens up for Papi?

3. How is Helmut's family best described in the photo at the ice cream shop?

4. What is the reaction of the refugees when they first meet Helmut?

5. What will become of Berlin?

Short Essay Questions

1. Helmut notices the city is emptying. More people are leaving on the trains and less are returning. This is a mystery and Seiffert never explicitly offers an explanation. Why not?

2. The Third Reich is at its height when Helmut is a teenager. How does this age and Helmut's life affect his acceptance and loyalty to the Third Reich?

3. Helmut is not strong or smart. Yet, there are indications that Helmut is clever about getting what he wants. Give an example of how Helmut shows his clever ways.

4. When Germany takes Paris, there is a large celebration. Mutti and Papi attend but they do not ask him to go. When they return they meet him at the train station and leave looking like a happy family. Explain Mutti and Papi's actions.

5. At night, when the bombs are close, Helmut shouts at the noise. Why does he feel this need? What does it do for him?

6. Germany attacks its neighbors and gains more lands that are prosperous. Neither Helmut nor anyone in his neighborhood seems to argue the Third Reich's actions. In fact, many boys are signing up to fight the war. Why would some Germans welcome the war and the push into other countries?

7. When Lore is sure Tomas is asleep, she buries the last remaining keepsakes of Vati. Why does she do this when they seemed safe in her apron?

8. Mutti and Papi love their son, but there is a stubborn denial that there is anything wrong with Helmut. What does it finally take them to accept the truth and how do they handle it?

9. Germany is in the midst of war and has been for several years. The second bombing that Helmut experiences is the worst so far. Describe the new changes and routine to which the inhabitants of Berlin must adapt.

10. As part of Papi's pay, Gladigau takes family portraits while Helmut grows up. How do the family portraits play a role in this story and what progression is observed from when Helmut is a newborn to the last individual photo?

(see the answer keys)

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