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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. What is Hanna's answer to the judge's question, "why did you not unlock the doors?"

2. What, at first, does Michael decide to be Hanna's motive?

3. What does the narrator say about the night after he took the bath in Frau Schmitz's apartment?

4. To whom does Michael try to talk about his feelings regarding his epiphany about Hanna with?

5. How old is the narrator in Chapter 1?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the memory the narrator discusses in Chapter 7, when he is four years old. Why is it significant?

2. Why is the evidence actually favorable to the defendants, as explained in Chapter 7?

3. Describe how Michael becomes involved in the court and Hanna's trial, as it is told in Part 2, Chapter 2.

4. At the end of Chapter 11, what are the comparisons Michael makes to his predicament with the trial?

5. How does the narrator find the courage to return to Frau Schmitz's apartment?

6. Describe the lines of reasoning the defendants (including Hanna) give for not unlocking the church doors, as explained in Chapter 9.

7. Describe Michael's daydreams from Chapter 13.

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

9. Describe Hanna's bold and unconventional move during the trial, as outlined in Chapter 6.

10. Describe the five defendants' roles, and their involvement in the crimes that brought them to the trial, as described in Part 2, Chapter 5.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Hanna and Micheal's relationship is immediate and intense, yet the reader only has Michael's view of their budding romance. From a literary standpoint, why might the author construct their relationship in this way? What are the disadvantages for reader, of not knowing how Hanna truly feels about Michael? The advantages?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast Michael's attitude toward Hanna at the beginning of their relationship and before the trial. How does Michael change over that time? How does he mature, emotionally and physically?

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the trial, Michael talks about the feelings of numbness that overcome him. In Part 2, Chapter 4, Michael uses an analogy to convey his numbed feeling; a "hand pinching an arm numbed by an injection". Why might the author use this analogy? Why does Michael liken his feelings to those of another person, under anesthesia? How does this allow Michael to be active, but also removed from the novel?

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