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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The radio tower Yanek sees as he and the other prisoners approach the Sachsenhausen concentration camp is located in what city?
(a) Paris.
(b) Amsterdam.
(c) Brussels.
(d) Berlin.

2. Yanek's first assigned task after he is moved to the Trzebinia concentration camp is to move a pile of what objects from one site to another?
(a) Rocks.
(b) Firewood.
(c) Shoes.
(d) Bricks.

3. At the start of Chapter 18, Yanek vows to take which action every single morning from that point forward?
(a) Drink a cup of water.
(b) Write a poem.
(c) Say a prayer.
(d) Scrub his body.

4. Upon arriving at the Trzebinia concentration camp, Yanek vows that he will not be killed without first taking what action?
(a) Saying goodbye to his bunkmates.
(b) Saying a prayer of remembrance for his family.
(c) Fighting back.
(d) Murdering at least one Nazi.

5. What location does every prisoner at Auschwitz do their best to avoid?
(a) The camp clinic.
(b) The camp kitchens.
(c) The rock quarry.
(d) The latrines.

Short Answer Questions

1. In what year does Yanek arrive at the Sachsenhausen camp?

2. The "Sachsenhausen salute" involves torturing a prisoner by forcing him to remain in what type of position for hours at a time without moving?

3. Including Yanek, how many prisoners are moved to the location that turns out to be a salt mine?

4. During the long train journey Yanek experiences in Chapter 15, he wakes up to discover that what event has taken place?

5. About how many people are imprisoned within the Auschwitz concentration camp at the time Yanek and the others are moved to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens to the men and boys accused of plotting escape from the Trzebinia and what proof does Yanek have of their innocence?

2. What small moment of triumph does Yanek experience during the transition from Auschwitz to another concentration camp?

3. Discuss an instance when Gratz uses a literary device to indicate the preciousness of food.

4. For what reason does Fred become unable to work?

5. On which two occasions does Yanek vow to take every step he can "never to forget" (161) the atrocities committed during the Holocaust?

6. Which objects in the salt mine does Yanek consider aesthetically beautiful?

7. What is the significance of the novel's title?

8. What morning routine does Yanek develop during his time imprisoned in Birkenau and why does he consider the routine important?

9. Discuss an instance in the novel when Yanek's determination to survive is apparent.

10. How does the theme of altruism arise within the journey from Auschwitz to Sachsenhausen?

(see the answer keys)

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