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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 long will the court (including the prosecution, defense, and judge) be in the new location?

2. What happens to Sophie?

3. By what name is one of the guards known in the survivor's book?

4. How does the narrator describe the feeling he gets from his father regarding their family?

5. On what street does the narrator live?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why does Michael decide to talk to his father in Chapter 12?

3. Why is the narrator unable to take his eyes off of Frau Schmitz?

4. How does Michael "betray" Hanna, as he explains in Chapter 15?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

The author uses an interesting technique in the beginning of the novel; he doesn't introduce the readers to Michael until Michael and Hanna formally introduce themselves. Why is this? Why might this technique be beneficial to the story? Why not? Do you think this was a conscious decision by the author? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

When Michael begins to read aloud to Hanna, it starts out as an intimate activity. Give examples as to how this activity strengthens their relationship. Compare and contrast how Michael feels about reading aloud to Hanna in the early stages of their relationship to the later stages. What has changed?

(see the answer keys)

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