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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. In Section 4, when does Joana tell Florian that her uncle and his family were sent to a gulag in Siberia?

2. In Section 3, how long does Joana say that it will take to travel from Gotenhafen to Kiel?

3. In Section 3, what type of art does Florian remember that Hitler wanted to create?

4. In Section 4 when Alfred collapses after vomiting constantly from seasickness, what toy does he damage?

5. In Section 3, when does Emilia say that Germany invaded Poland from the west?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Section 3, what does Joana learn about Florian and Koch?

2. In Section 3, why does Eva not register with the rest of the group?

3. What does Alfred do to a child's toy and why when he collapses in the music room after vomiting with seasickness in Section 4?

4. What happens to Alfred?

5. In Section 4, what interrupts the music that plays on the ships speaker's and why?

6. In Section 3, how does Emilia describe her mother's death?

7. In Section 4, what does Florian think might help him leave the ship without getting arrested?

8. In Section 3 when Joana meets the poet and the little boy under the clock, what does the shoe poet say about getting passes to board the ship?

9. In Section 4, when does Emilia remember receiving a sign?

10. In Section 4, who springs into action in the maternity ward after the torpedo hits?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There are several references to birth in the novel. How does the author develop the theme of birth and the ability of birth to take place even in difficult situations?

Essay Topic 2

Characters struggle with internal and external conflicts. How do various characters face the conflicts they encounter, and how do the conflicts reveal character traits?

Essay Topic 3

The novel takes place in war-torn German/Prussia. How does the setting serve as a backdrop for the characters, evoke feelings, and set the tone in the book?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 820 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample