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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 do the special ops team members do before their plane explodes?

2. What does Simon tell himself not to do when he finds himself in a snowdrift and unable to move?

3. German officers arrive in order to take over the villa for a ___________.

4. ____________ vows on Alberto's grave that Claudia's mother and brothers will be found.

5. Angelo Soncini realizes he is not the only ______ in hiding at his boarding school.

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. Why does Duno know how to care for the injured?

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

5. By August, what is Renzo able to do after his injury?

6. Who is Osvaldo now driving a car for?

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

8. What happens to Simon Henley's plane during the conflict with the German planes?

9. What does Battista threaten Leto with when he tells him to tell the Germans who killed the five soliders?

10. What does Renzo return to reveal to the others?

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

Trying to do something right in the face of perceived cruelty doesn't always give the best results for those involved.

Part 1: Describe the scene with the girl and the six German soldiers. What happened?

Part 2: What did Santino think was happening? What was actually happening?

Part 3: Is the goal of doing something right always better than actually doing something that is truly right? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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