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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. When does Michael go to the prison for the first time?

2. When does Michael say "all this happened"?

3. Where does Michael go at the end of Part 3, Chapter 12?

4. When will Hanna make an appeal for clemency?

5. What familiar feeling does Michael get again in Part 3, Chapter 9?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do the Michael's feelings about the trial become "awakened" in Chapter 3?

2. What does Michael receive at the beginning of Chapter 6, and why does this cause him great joy?

3. How does Hanna respond to Michael's questions about the trial and their relationship?

4. What does Michael say about his relationships after Gertrud?

5. What does the prison warden tell Michael about Hanna and her time in prison?

6. What does Michael do to prepare for Hanna's release in Chapter 9?

7. In the beginning of Chapter 12, right after Hanna's death, what does Michael decide to do? Why?

8. What does Michael dream about on the train from Boston to New York, on the way to visit the daughter from the trial?

9. In Chapter 16, why does Michael say he "finds it unendurable to do nothing"?

10. What does Michael notice about himself after he is taken to the hospital with fever?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In Part 2, Chapter 14, Michael has an exchange with a man who gives him a ride to the concentration camp. How does their conversation illustrate the disconnect between Michael's generation and that of his elders? How are their opinions about the war and justice similar, and how do they differ?

Essay Topic 2

Give examples of the instances in which Michael realizes Hanna gave clues to her illiteracy. Why was it necessary for Michael to be far removed from his life and the trial in order to come to the revelation that Hanna could not read or write? Why does Michael reason that Hanna is fighting her own battle of justice?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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