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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. For what did Balakian win a trophy at the end of his first year at the private high school?

2. Why was Balakian's father unable to serve during World War II?

3. What popular song was played at Lenny Cohen's bar mitzvah?

4. What town did Balakian's grandmother mention when she was discussing the death march, as he lay in bed sick?

5. What color dress did Auntie Anna wear while delivering a talk at Balakian's college?

Short Essay Questions

1. When the Balakian family was preparing to move to another town, what was the deeper significance of Balakian's mother's insistence that her son not get too attached to any one place?

2. Describe the Wall family, who were Balakian's neighbors in Tenafly.

3. What impression did the writer, William Saroyan, make on Balakian during the party at his aunt's apartment?

4. Why did Balakian's father send him the newspaper clipping about the Armenian Soviet republic and how did Peter react?

5. How did Balakian's family's attachment to food reflect their ancestors' history?

6. Why did Balakian's grandmother tell him a story from the genocide while he was delirious with fever?

7. Describe the impact poetry had on Balakian during high school and how it connected to his family's silence about the genocide.

8. In what ways did life at Auntie Anna's and Uncle Steve's house differ from life in the Balakian household?

9. What was Balakian's reaction to the folktales his grandmother would frequently tell him?

10. How did sports help heal the rift between Balakian and his father?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Balakian's grandfather Diran was a physician who served during the genocide and was required at times to treat Turkish soldiers. He did so knowing that many of these soldiers were likely to return to the front to kill more Armenians. Write an essay exploring how he was able to deal with this situation. Did knowing what these men were doing impact his ability to follow the Hippocratic Oath? Why did he treat the Turkish soldiers?

Essay Topic 2

When the Balakian family lived in Teaneck, New Jersey, Peter felt a special kinship with the Jews. Why did he feel this connection? Was it simply a matter of being exposed to a tight-knit community or was there something deeper that Peter could not have articulated? Why did he feel left out when his own family had traditions? If he had known at the time about the Armenian genocide, would the connection have been deeper?

Essay Topic 3

To this day, the Turkish government refuses to acknowledge the deaths of Armenians as genocide. Why would the government continue to deny atrocities committed long before current Turks were even alive? How does the denial of past crimes affect the development of a nation? Can Turkey ever be considered a part of the community of modern, humane nations as long as it continues to deny the genocide? What would a confession mean to the Turkish people today? How important is critical self-evaluation to the development of a nation?

(see the answer keys)

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