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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. Who is the mother of the girl who has been leaving food for the Blums to find?

2. What does Leto help Duno with as they travel on foot to Santa Chiara?

3. Rivka says that if the Jews have something that may be valuable, the ____ will take it.

4. Who is the young solider who has taken up a keen interest in the Blums?

5. Which character knows three languages, but wants to learn Italian now?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happened to Angelo Soncini's baby sister?

2. Why was Leto allowed to go to school while others were not?

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

4. Describe the character of Lidia Leoni.

5. How does Werner Schramm compare war to misdiagnosed tuberculosis?

6. Describe who Pierino is.

7. What does Santino discover after praying fervently to the Virgin?

8. What appears outside of the hut where the Blums are hiding, much to their surprise?

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

10. Why did the bells at the church suddenly begin to ring?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The question of identity is another concern in this story. Since identities need to change in order to secure safety, the idea of one's identity seems to be less important than safety.

Part 1: What are some of the identities that the male characters take on?

Part 2: What are some of the identities that the female characters take on?

Part 3: Do the characters seem to change when they change their identities? In what ways, if at all?

Essay Topic 2

In today's world, the idea of resistance to a cause might be seen as terrorism instead of a partisan movement.

Part 1: Describe the actions of the resistance groups in this novel.

Part 2: Are the resistance groups effective in reaching their goals in this novel? Why or why not?

Part 3: Would you describe these resistance movements as terrorism? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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