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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 job do those who greet the prisoners as they arrive to the concentration camp do?

2. What does Frankl call "the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire."

3. Who narrates this story?

4. What does Frankl argue happened in camp to "sensitive people used to a rich intellectual life"?

5. How does the friend of the author, who "smuggled himself" into the author's hut, suggest that the prisoners try to stay alive?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Experiences in a Concentration Camp," what does Frankl write happened when a train was prepared to transport prisoners?

2. According to the first section of the text, "Experiences in a Concentration Camp," what advantages did the Capo have over normal prisoners?

3. As a new prisoner in camp, what decision did Frankl believe "marked the culminating point of the first phase of [his] psychological reaction"?

4. According to Frankl, what characterizes the prisoners' thinking when they first arrive at camp?

5. How did Frankl win the favor of the Capo in his working party? Why was this important for him?

6. Who were termed "Moslems" in camp? What consequences did being called "Moslem" have?

7. What does Frankl write about the sense of humor that developed in the concentration camp?

8. What kind of curiosity does Frankl write that the prisoners had?

9. In the first section of the text, "Experiences in a Concentration Camp," what groups does Frankl identify within the concentration camp? Which group does he focus on? Why?

10. How did the Capo alter the normal reactions of those prisoners assigned to clean latrines?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the difference between Capos and normal prisoners. How were each selected? Does Frankl present a balanced view of the behavior of each group? How does he justify his sympathies with normal prisoners?

Essay Topic 2

Frankl describes the importance for the individual of finding meaning of life. He writes, "Man's search for meaning is a primary force in his life and not a 'secondary rationalization' of instinctual drives." How does he define the meaning of life? How does he suggest that people search for the meaning in their lives? What role does he give to the conditions in life that seem to fully determine behavior?

Essay Topic 3

What would Frankl say is the difference between those who are able to overcome life's problems and those who are not? What examples from the concentration camps might he use to illustrate this difference? What role do circumstances play in their survival? What role does their mental outlook take?

(see the answer keys)

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