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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 was the speech reprinted in the newspaper in Chapter 33 addressed to?

2. Where does Sara say Mala was from?

3. What does the Editor argue prisoners in concentration camp relied on when telling their story?

4. Who told Sara and her group that they would soon receive Red Cross food?

5. What does Sara say their was few of in Auschwitz?

Short Essay Questions

1. What were concentration camp prisoners denied based on the afterword?

2. What was the story Mrs. Helena shared with Sara and the other infirmary workers?

3. Why did Sara and her friends discover it would be dangerous to stay in the haystacks in Chapter 39?

4. Why did the women's digestive systems rebel against the food from the Red Cross?

5. What did Sara do on April 30 1945 when the SS decided to evacuate them?

6. What did Irena try to encourage the women to do according to Sara in Chapter 30?

7. Who was hung at the gates at the end of October 1944 and why?

8. Who appeared before Sara when the women were singing one day?

9. Where did the Auschwitz prisoners go to after the march?

10. What did the one hundred rabbis do upon arrival in Auschwitz?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In January 1945, those imprisoned at Auschwitz were forced on a death march to Ravensbruck, a concentration camp located in Eastern Germany. Those who could not keep up or were ill were shot. Examine the significance and purpose of the death march, using the text and secondary sources to support your discussion.

Essay Topic 2

According to the editor of "Auschwitz: True Tales from a Grotesque Land", Sara wrote the book in the tradition of a Yiddish folktale, as her stories were told, but also stimulated the reader to think about complex issues. Students should read a Yiddish folktale and compare it with Sara's writing and discuss the similarities and differences between the two in terms of style, form, and other aspects of writing. Students should determine whether her writing fits into the tradition of a Yiddish folktale and support their conclusion with evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 3

The editor examines the disturbing memories felt by those who survived the Holocaust, such as Elie Weisel. Many Holocaust witnesses had difficulty telling the story as it happened without distortion. Students should discuss the psychological trauma of such an event and examine survivor's guilt. Students should also discuss why Sara, unlike others, may have decided to draw on her memories to make the story of Auschwitz more believable. Students should use the text and secondary sources to support their discussion.

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