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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 night after the man claiming to have the surname of Finkelstein dies, Yanek dreams that statues made of what substance come to life?
(a) Copper.
(b) Iron.
(c) Salt.
(d) Ice.

2. How old is the younger Polish boy on the train platform who shouts at the passing train passengers that they will be transformed into a particular substance?
(a) 3 or 4.
(b) 5 or 6.
(c) 10 or 11.
(d) 12 or 13.

3. Yanek recalls being told by an SS guard upon his entry into Auschwitz that the only way to get out of the camp involved which object?
(a) A noose.
(b) A bullet.
(c) A chimney.
(d) A miracle.

4. What is Yanek's first sign that Fred has contracted an illness?
(a) He wakes up bathed in sweat.
(b) He vomits.
(c) He is slower at chopping wood than he normally is.
(d) He cannot get out of bed.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. As Yanek and the other prisoners enter the gates of Auschwitz, they see a sign announcing that "work is" (148) what?

2. The Sachsenhausen concentration camp's gates display the same motto as which other concentration camp in which Yanek has lived?

3. Once Yanek finds out where his train is headed in Chapter 15, a man nearby gives Yanek advice about what topic?

4. What item does Yanek lose while providing assistance to another prisoner on the journey from Auschwitz to Sachsenhausen?

5. At the end of Chapter 19, Yanek thinks he may be losing his mind when he hears the sound of what?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What is the source of the strange sound Yanek hears during his first night at Auschwitz?

4. What ominous warning does an SS guard give to Yanek as he enters Auschwitz?

5. For what purpose do the Nazis use cattle cars and in what way is their use symbolic?

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

7. What is different about Yanek's experience at Bergen-Belsen, in relation to his previous experiences with concentration camps?

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

9. What distinction does Yanek make between the Trzebinia concentration camp and the other camps in which he has been imprisoned?

10. What scent does Yanek detect in the air when he is brought to the Birkenau death camp?

(see the answer keys)

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