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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. The period from 1900 to 1905 marked the beginning of what?

2. How does Useppe react to the girl that Nino brings home?

3. What is Ida's profession?

4. What does Ida name her second son?

5. What name does Carlo Vivaldi assume, once he becomes a revolutionary?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. What happens to Carlo after he leaves the shelter in 1943?

5. What health problem does Ida experience as a child, and how do her parents feel about it?

6. How does Useppe respond when he is left alone by Ida as a baby?

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

8. What was the Italian Racial Law?

9. In what state is Carlo Vivaldi when he first arrives at the shelter in 1943?

10. How does Ida and Useppe's living situation change in 1944?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Scimo is a character who seems almost surreal, and leads the reader to wonder if he is simply a figment of Useppe's imagination. Is there any way to tell for sure if Scimo is real or not? Why? What purpose does his character serve? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 2

All of the historical information presented in the novel is accurate, but it is presented in a way that allows the author to back up her own points. Does the author's presentation of the historical facts change the way the reader interprets those facts? Is the author's use of historical facts to flesh out the story effective? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

Ida often leaves Useppe home alone, either because she has to go to work, or because she is too ashamed to be seen with him. What effect do the long solitary hours have on Useppe? Does he seem bothered by the solitude? Why or why not? How might a child of a different disposition react to his situation? Why? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

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