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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. How old is Yanek when he reaches the Sachsenhausen concentration camp after being moved from Auschwitz?

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

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

4. What name do the prisoners at Birkenau bestow upon the camp storehouse that holds items stolen from Jewish prisoners?

5. What method of transportation do Yanek and the other prisoners use to reach the Sachsenhausen concentration camp?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. How does the theme of collectivism arise within Yanek's arrival at Auschwitz?

4. At what point do Yanek and the other new arrivals to the Birkenau death camp realize that they have been spared for the moment?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Could Prisoner B-3087 be classified as a coming-of-age story? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

What message does Gratz send within the pages of Prisoner B-3087 concerning the link between oppression and brutality?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the interplay between the resolution of Prisoner B-3087 and one of the novel's main messages. How does Gratz make connections between these elements and how does their juxtaposition help them get across one main message of the novel?

(see the answer keys)

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