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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 vice did Ida's father have?

2. Who was the Italian leader, appointed by the King, in 1943?

3. When Gunther is introduced, he is anticipating a trip to where?

4. How does Giuseppe die?

5. As a baby, where does Useppe spend most of his time?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is happening to the Jews in the ghetto, in 1941?

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

3. How is Gunther described?

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

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

6. What happens when the monk arrives at the shelter?

7. How is Ida Mancuso described, at the beginning of Chapter 2?

8. What happens to Blitz when Nino leaves to serve in a battalion?

9. How does Ida respond to the air raid sirens, beginning in 1943?

10. What concerns does Ida have about Nino and herself, in 1940?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Useppe's behavior changed drastically after his mother attempted to enroll him in school. Why do these changes occur? Why does Ida begin to believe that there is something wrong with Useppe? Is she right? What caused his behavioral problems? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 2

There are strange and surreal events in the novel, such as Caruli's story about the dirigible, which don't make sense, and which make the reader question the validity of the rest of the events. Why does the author make the truth of these events so ambiguous? What literary purpose do they serve? Are they effective? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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