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. Battista threatens _______ that he must tell the Germans who killed the five soldiers or he will tell them about his own Communist cousins.

2. Conflicting ________ are dropped by the Germans and the Allies, leading to rumors in the area.

3. What does Mirella give to anyone and everyone who comes to her?

4. ____________ was injured and out of commission, and Italy's war was handed off to second-tier generals, both American and German.

5. Who is killed when German soldiers attack Maria and her companion?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are Renzo and Schramm supervising together?

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

3. Who does Mirella turn away from her property, even though she generally takes in everyone she can?

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

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

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

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

8. What does Santino see when he is on the crowded train?

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

10. Who is Osvaldo now driving a car for?

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 area of Italy was a confused one during the war as things seem to be "over" and yet they have really just begun for most of the people.

Part 1: Describe why people think the war in Italy is over. What happened?

Part 2: What really happens with the Germans now that Italy is out of the war?

Part 3: Why do you think this time was so confusing for the Italians? Did this make things easier or harder for the Germans? Why?

Essay Topic 3

The title of the story is from the quote: "No matter how dark the tapestry God weaves for us, there's always a thread of grace." This seems to be the perfect way to assemble the images and the emotions of the story.

Part 1: In what ways does the story show that the tapestry God weaves is dark?

Part 2: What are some examples of grace in this story?

Part 3: In what ways has your perception of grace changed in reading this story?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 622 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample