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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 color is Saskia's hair?

2. Why did Cor Takes escape on the night of the assault?

3. How does Anton react to the tumult outside his door in the Third Episode?

4. Where does Anton discuss the details of the assault with Cor Takes?

5. Why did Fake Ploeg never finish high school?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Anton realize about his wife after speaking to Cor Takes?

2. What is the political climate in the Third Episode?

3. What causes Anton and Cor Takes to become emotional while discussing the night of the assault?

4. How does Anton respond to the political unrest in Amsterdam in the Third Episode?

5. What information does Cor Takes give Anton about the assault that he did not know previously?

6. Why does Anton choose to study anesthesiology?

7. How does Fake Ploeg speak of his father?

8. What detail of the night of the assault puzzles both Cor Takes and Anton?

9. Is Anton eager to discuss the night of the assault with Cor Takes?

10. What is the atmosphere at the funeral in the Fourth Episode?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Author Harry Mulisch shares several similarities with the character Anton. What are three of these similarities? How may they have affected the way Harry Mulisch wrote "The Assault"?

Essay Topic 2

Anton has no interest in politics, but he is unable to completely ignore it. Choose two political events that happen during "The Assault" and describe their effect on Anton's life.

Essay Topic 3

Had the body of Fake Ploeg not been moved in front of Anton's house, his parents would not have been killed. Describe what probably would have happened in the following situations.

1) The body is left in front of the Kortewegs.

2) The body is moved in front of the Aartses.

(see the answer keys)

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