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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 do the French women ask the German soldiers to do on the night of their party?

2. Who does Lucile observe are the only ones that are totally free?

3. What does Bruno give to Lucile as he is preparing to leave?

4. What does Lucile ask Bruno for as he is preparing to leave?

5. When was Maurice Michaud injured?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Benoit's attitude toward Madeleine's interest in things outside the farm and why?

2. What does Lucile decide to do about Benoit as the Germans are leaving?

3. How has the war affected Corbin and Count de Furieres differently?

4. What is the atmosphere of the town as the German's depart for Russia?

5. How does Charlotte Pericand react when she sees Hubert and realizes that he is not dead?

6. Describe the scene of the German soldiers in Bussy.

7. Why are the Germans going to arrest Benoit and what happens when they arrive at the Sabarie house?

8. What happens to Charles Langelet in Chapter 29, and why is it ironic at this point?

9. What factors in to Lucile Angellier's decision to ultimately reject Bruno von Falk?

10. What is discussed in the conversation between Lucile and Madame Angellier after Madame Angellier discovers Lucile talking to Bruno for the first time?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Many of the characters in the novel go through some kind of character development even if it is only momentarily or small. Hubert Pericand, though, seems to go through the most changes in the novel as he develops from a naive child to a reflective young man. What experiences lead to the change and growth of Hubert Pericand? How do these experiences affect his personality, beliefs, and ideals? Does his mother's opinion of him change throughout the novel? What types of things does Hubert begin to question when he learns of his brother Philippe's death when he returns to Nimes?

Essay Topic 2

Nemirovsky does not launch into extensive descriptions of her characters but rather allows her characters to reveal their own personalities, as well as the relationships they have with other characters. How do the characters in the novel accomplish this? How do we learn about the characters through the action in the novel? What do we learn about the characters through their relationships with other characters? What does this do for the novel?

Essay Topic 3

All of the different socio-economic classes in France at the time are represented through the different characters in the novel. Identify a character or family of characters that represent each different class, from servants to the working class to the middle class to the upper class. How does the war affect the people in the classes differently? Are the poor more susceptible to the negative attributes of war than the people in the middle and upper classes? How do people from the different classes view the war and the occupation?

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