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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 meets Becca at the airport in Chapter 18?

2. For how long do Magda and Becca plan to stay at Josef's house?

3. Why does Becca lie and say she doesn't understand Gemma's words in Chapter 17?

4. What type of tree is Becca's favorite?

5. What rumors about the refugee camp does Randolph comment on in Chapter 12?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 12, what does Becca note is missing from the ending of Gemma's version of the Briar Rose story?

2. Who is Magda Bronski?

3. How does Becca find out the meaning of 'Ksiezniczka'?

4. What do Becca's family members try to dissuade her from doing in Chapter 16?

5. What does Magda say about the teacher who taught her about the concentration camps?

6. What does Harvey recall about Gemma in Chapter 12?

7. What part of the story does Gemma tell Becca in Chapter 11?

8. In Chapter 24, why does Josef ask Becca to visit his house, and for how long?

9. Where does Gemma tell Becca the Briar Rose story in Chapter 15? Who else listens, and what does he object to?

10. What does the priest in Chapter 22 tell Becca about Chelmno?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the struggles faced by Becca throughout the novel. What struggles does Becca face? How does she overcome them?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the motif of death in the novel "Briar Rose". How does Yolen illustrate the death motif throughout the novel? What do the characters think of death? How do the characters, particularly Becca, react to the deaths?

Essay Topic 3

Describe Becca's promise to her grandmother and her quest to follow through on her promise. What is the promise, and why is it so important that Becca find the answers she needs? How does she go about fulfilling her promise to Gemma?

(see the answer keys)

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