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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. Who does the author claim entertained thoughts of suicide in the concentration camp?

2. How were the Capos chosen?

3. What position does the author volunteer for?

4. How did prisoners experience beauty?

5. What happens when the author was outside of the camp fences burying dead bodies?

Short Essay Questions

1. Due to the difficult conditions and the need to fight for survival, which prisoners does Frankl claim were most likely to survive life in the concentration camp?

2. Frankl writes that because of the harsh realities of camp life and the "constant necessity of concentrating on the task of staying alive," some of the prisoners "regressed" to a more primitive form of mental life. How does he see this manifest itself?

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

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

5. What were the initial conditions of camp life for the prisoners that arrived to Auschwitz with Frankl?

6. What does Frankl claim is the difficulty of his attempt at a methodical presentation of the psychology of the prisoner?

7. In the section on "Experiences in a Concentration Camp," Frankl describes a physical condition that affected "nearly all the camp inmates." What was this condition? How did it affect Frankl?

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

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

10. What did Frankl call to "run into the wire"? What role did this play in camp life, and in the mental lives of prisoners in camp?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Frankl describes three distinct phases in the mental life of the prisoners he lived with in concentration camps. What characterizes each of these phases? Do you believe that these phases can be seen in any other situations or circumstances?

Essay Topic 2

What informs the principles of logotherapy? Did anything beyond the personal experiences of the author influence this theory? How does Frankl's life experience and example embody or exemplify the principles of logotherapy? What do you see as the strengths and weaknesses of this theory? What do therapists practicing logotherapy do for their patients? What is the aim in logotherapy?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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