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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. Which character is the first to greet Yanek and Oskar at the location to which they go after curfew?

2. Once Yanek realizes that his parents have been captured by the Nazis, his pain soon turns to "a stirring of" (61) which emotion?

3. What is the legal first name of the novel's protagonist, though he goes by the name Yanek?

4. How many members of Yanek's family are living within the rooftop pigeon coop at the start of Chapter 7?

5. What is NOT one of Yanek's favorite topics to read books about?

Short Essay Questions

1. After what event in the narrative does Yanek state, "If I had only known then what I know now, I would have run" (3)?

2. Who hides within the pigeon coop on the roof of Yanek's apartment building?

3. On what occasion is Yanek permitted to return to his family's former apartment?

4. How and why does Yanek lose trust in his father Oskar's word?

5. Who is Amon Goeth?

6. Which of Yanek's family members teaches him about the importance of remaining invisible?

7. In Chapter 8, Yanek and his father begin to leave the pigeon coop each day for what purpose?

8. In what way does Gratz demonstrate the importance of religious beliefs and traditions within Yanek's family?

9. Describe an instance when Gratz makes it clear that adaptability is a crucial skill for any Jewish person living in Nazi-occupied parts of Europe.

10. For what purpose is the bakery belonging to Aun Fela and Uncle Abraham secretly and altruistically used?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss how and why Gratz instills three different humanist messages into the narrative of Prisoner B-3087.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Gratz’s use of metaphor, simile, imagery, and other literary devices as a means to send particular thematic messages within the narrative of Prisoner B-3087.

Essay Topic 3

William Faulkner once famously claimed that the most important literature deals with the subject of the human heart in conflict with itself. Explain how the theme of Human versus Self is demonstrated within Gratz’s novel Prisoner B-3087. Create a decisive, arguable claim and prove it with quotes from the novel.

(see the answer keys)

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