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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. Gandhi was arrested by troops from what nation, in 1942?

2. How do people feel about the pact between Hitler and Mussolini, in Chapter 3?

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

4. What happens to Filomena's pet rabbit?

5. How does Ida react when Nino steals food?

Short Essay Questions

1. What news does Remo bring Ida, regarding Nino and the other revolutionaries, at the beginning of 1944?

2. How does Ida respond when she learns that she is pregnant with Useppe?

3. What was the Italian Racial Law?

4. How does the author set the stage for the novel's action, in the first chapter?

5. Who is Signora DiSegni?

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

7. How does Useppe sometimes affect Nino's mood?

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

9. What changes come over Nino, in 1942?

10. What ultimately happens to Ida's parents?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Carlo's character is, at times, mysterious, sinister, pitiable and despicable. Why does his character change so much throughout the course of the novel? What literary purpose does his character serve? What is he supposed to represent? 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

The author includes a great deal of history with the fiction in the novel. Why does she provide so much background information? How does it affect readers' interpretation and understanding of the novel? Why? Are there details in the novel which would be less clear if this information was not provided? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

(see the answer keys)

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