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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. The people on the other side of the fence are described as being how far from Bruno’s home, as he and Gretel watch from the window in Chapter Four: "What they Saw through the Window"?

2. The oak tree that Bruno finds and decides to put a tire swing in is so old that he imagines it must have been planted when, according to the narrator in Chapter Seven: "How Mother Took Credit for Something that She Hadn't Done"?

3. For how long does Bruno say he’s been exploring when he meets the boy on the other side of the fence in Chapter Ten: "The Dot that Became a Speck that Became a Blob that Became a Figure that Became a Boy"?

4. Bruno says of his father and all fathers in Chapter Two: "The New House" that “fathers are supposed to be” what?

5. Maria tells Bruno in Chapter Six: "The Overpaid Maid" that her mother had worked for Bruno’s grandmother in what capacity?

Short Essay Questions

1. What conversation takes place between Bruno and his father regarding their move in Chapter One: "Bruno Makes a Discovery"?

2. How does Bruno go about “making the best of the situation” in Chapter Six: "The Overpaid Maid"?

3. How does Bruno respond when his father asks him what he thinks of their new home in Chapter Five: "Out of Bounds at All Times and No Exceptions"?

4. How does Bruno come to discover his family is moving in Chapter One: "Bruno Makes a Discovery"? How does Bruno respond?

5. What is Bruno’s father’s position within the German military? What is the reason for his relocation?

6. What is Gretel’s response to the mystery of the fence and what is beyond it in Chapter Four: "What they Saw through the Window"?

7. How old is Gretel in Chapter Four: "What they Saw through the Window"? How does Bruno feel about his sister?

8. Would you describe Bruno’s character as “innocent” in the novel? How “innocent” are Bruno’s parents?

9. What does Gretel ask about the people in the camp in Chapter Four: "What they Saw through the Window"?

10. What does Bruno tell Maria about regarding the move in Chapter Six: "The Overpaid Maid"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and analyze the character of Bruno as the protagonist in the novel. How old is Bruno? What are Bruno’s favorite things about living in Berlin? How does Bruno feel about his sister? How does Bruno evolve as a character by the end of the story?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the setting of Berlin in Nazi Germany in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Against whom were the Germans fighting in World War II? When did the Third Reich begin? How is the setting described in Chapter One: "Bruno Makes a Discovery"?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the character of Pavel in the novel. How do you perceive Pavel’s life prior to the Nazi takeover? What was his profession? How old is Pavel? What do you think happens to Pavel at the end of the story?

(see the answer keys)

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