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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. While wandering in the woods, what is Michael's epiphany?

2. What is the cause of the first fight between Hanna and Michael?

3. In Chapter 15, what does Sophie ask Michael?

4. In what language does Michael have to read the survivor's book?

5. What decision does Michael make at the beginning of Part 2, Chapter 12?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Michael's classroom and classmates as they are presented in Chapter 13.

2. What does Michael do in the weeks after he and Hanna have their first fight?

3. Describe the Frau Schmitz's apartment.

4. Describe what happened the night the church was bombed, as explained in Chapter 8,

5. Describe Michael's daydreams from Chapter 13.

6. Describe the encounter between Frau Schmitz and the narrator in Chapter 6.

7. Describe Hanna's life, as she tells it to Michael in Chapter 9.

8. Describe the only time Michael sees Hanna by chance, in Chapter 16.

9. Describe the building on Bahnhofstrasse.

10. In Part 2, Chapter 4, how does Michael compare the trial to being a prisoner in a death camp?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In Part 1, Chapter 9, Michael asks "Why does what was beautiful suddenly shatter in hindsight because it concealed dark truths?" What does this foreshadow? Do you agree with Michael that happiness about something cannot be regained if the memory ends in unhappiness? Why or why not? How does this question relate to the novel as a whole?

Essay Topic 2

In the early chapters of the novel, Michael describes the setting--Hanna's apartment, the city, the streetcars--in great detail. How do Michael's detailed descriptions give the reader clues to his character? How do details about the scenery advance the plot of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

How does Hanna act as a "bully" in the early stages of the relationship she has with Michael? Why does Michael feel he has no choice but to give in to Hanna and her demands? How does this set the tone for Hanna's behavior during her trial?

(see the answer keys)

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