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

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Duno's father do to him as they argue about whether or not to turn themselves in?

2. Who is not really a criminal but went to jail in place of his brother-in-law who was also not a criminal?

3. Who does Santino blame for the predicament of the Jews?

4. Leto delivers a message to Claudette telling her that __________ has not forgotten her, but has gotten lost in a farm until the snow melts.

5. Osvaldo wonders why the ________ does not excommunicate Hitler, but Leto understands how politics work.

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe who Pierino is.

2. What are some of the things that Adolf is afraid of at the beginning of the manuscript which may have led to his own sense of purity?

3. What does Tomitz come to tell those at the Rabbi's house?

4. Why wasn't one of Tercilla Lovera's sons taken to be part of the war effort?

5. What does Werner Schramm apologize for when he finally runs into Osvaldo?

6. Describe the former life of the Brosslers.

7. Describe the character of Lidia Leoni.

8. What did Lidia do while Renzo was in jail, a fact she admits to him when he reveals his meeting with Schramm?

9. What does Renzo speculate about the human beings in the world?

10. What does Santino tell the Blums to do in order to save themselves from the Germans?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Children also seem to play a minor, yet significant role in the story. They seem to be giving the story a subtext which is speaking more to the themes of the story.

Part 1: Who are some of the children mentioned?

Part 2: What were the fates of the children who were mentioned?

Part 3: What do you think the author is saying about youth and about new life?

Essay Topic 2

The bravery of the people in this story in relation to their choice of hiding people is certainly something that makes readers consider their own courage in this sort of situation.

Part 1: What did the families in this story give up in order to shelter Jews? What did they risk?

Part 2: Why did the families in this story do what they did?

Part 3: Do you think you might be able to take the same risk in today's times? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

When Tomitz is interrogated, he realizes this questioning is about control and this helps him better understand what he needs to do.

Part 1: Who is interrogating Tomitz and how did they capture him?

Part 2: What does Tomitz compare the interrogation to? Why?

Part 3: Do you agree with what Tomitz believes about his interrogation? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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