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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 conference was held for the purposes of "racial planning"?

2. In Chapter 1, the author briefly discusses the discoveries pertaining to what?

3. Civilians and cities in Europe were destroyed by what types of bombing?

4. What does Nino do, in 1943, which devastates Ida?

5. What was Quattropunto's real name?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Nino do for his little brother when Useppe is very young?

2. Who is Carulina?

3. How do Nino and Ida react to the air raid sirens in Rome, beginning in 1941?

4. What is Carlo's stance on violence and politics, in 1943?

5. How does Nino treat his mother when he is 16?

6. Where is Gunther, at the start of the novel, and where is he going?

7. What was the Italian Racial Law?

8. How is Gunther described?

9. What new ordinance is passed, in 1943, regarding the Jews, and how does it affect Ida?

10. How does Italy's government change in 1943?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Gunther only appears twice in the novel, but plays a major role. Is he a sympathetic character? Why does the author choose to mix such pitiable qualities with such a hateful persona? Are Gunther's mistakes a result of his situation, or is he an inherently bad person? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 2

The narrator uses phrases of uncertainty and first-person expressions when telling the story. Why does the author choose to do this? What literary purpose does this style of writing serve? Was it an effective storytelling method? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

Ida is devastated by Nino's decision to quit school. Why does Nino decide to quit? How do his decision to quit school, and his rowdy behavior there before he quits, reflect his disdain for authority in general? Why does his decision to quit school affect Ida so deeply? What does she think will happen to him when he drops out of school? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 786 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample