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 does Mirella give to anyone and everyone who comes to her?

2. Who is Mirella expecting a visit from as they are in the Hunchback's house?

3. Who has taken in hundreds of people needing a place to sleep and a meal?

4. A girl on the crowded train diverts the Nazi soldiers' attention as a ____________ slides under the train seats.

5. Mirella hopes that the war will be over by _________________.

Short Essay Questions

1. What are being dropped from the sky, causing rumors to ravage Italy?

2. Why does Artur almost shoot a young boy he sees while sitting out with Renzo/Ugo?

3. What has happened to Alberto Fiori, formerly Albery Blum?

4. Why has Jakub Landau been caught at the German checkpoint?

5. What is the holiday that the United States and the Germans had hoped to meet in terms of ending the war?

6. What makes the German soldiers stop looking through the laundry basket Claudia Cicala is carrying?

7. What does Maria Avoni teach Simon Henley about as she takes him to his first camp?

8. What has little Angelo Soncini realized about his position at the boarding school?

9. How does Schramm describe Hitler's stories?

10. What was the real story behind the raping of the girl by the six German soldiers?

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

Schramm is a complicated character, coming from a German background, but then seemingly turning around at the end.

Part 1: Why did Schramm go AWOL from the German army to begin with?

Part 2: Why does Schramm ask for forgiveness for his sins? What were his sins?

Part 3: Can you believe Schramm's eventual apology in the end of the book? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 610 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample