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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 Bruno changes clothes before crossing the fence in Chapter Nineteen: "What Happened the Next Day,” he tells Shmuel that this reminds him of what?

2. What is the name of the boy in the book that Bruno describes to Lieutenant Kotler in Chapter Fifteen: "Something He Shouldn't Have Done"?

3. What has happened to Lieutenant Kotler in Chapter Seventeen: "Mother Gets Her Own Way"?

4. What does Bruno tell Shmuel he wants to be when he grows up in Chapter Thirteen: "The Bottle of Wine"?

5. What symbol does Bruno describe on his father’s armband in Chapter Twelve: "Shmuel Thinks of an Answer to Bruno's Question"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What exchange takes place between Bruno and Lieutenant Kotler in Chapter Fifteen: "Something He Shouldn't Have Done"?

2. What does Bruno learn about Pavel from Maria in Chapter Thirteen: "The Bottle of Wine"?

3. How has Bruno’s attitude and impressions of Out-With changed in Chapter Sixteen: "The Haircut"?

4. What leads to the scary incident between Lieutenant Kotler and Pavel in Chapter Thirteen: "The Bottle of Wine"?

5. Where does Bruno discover Shmuel in Chapter Fifteen: "Something He Shouldn't Have Done"? What does Bruno offer to Shmuel?

6. How is the setting where Shmuel’s family lived in the ghetto described in Chapter Twelve: "Shmuel Thinks of an Answer to Bruno's Question"?

7. How does Bruno go about entering the camp in Chapter Nineteen: "What Happened the Next Day"?

8. What does Bruno offer to do in order to help Shmuel in Chapter Eighteen: "Thinking Up the Final Adventure"?

9. What does Shmuel tell Bruno of his life before the camp in Chapter Twelve: "Shmuel Thinks of an Answer to Bruno's Question"?

10. How would you characterize the denouement of the novel in Chapter Twenty: "The Last Chapter"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the conflict that occurs between Lieutenant Kotler and Pavel in Chapter Thirteen: "The Bottle of Wine.” Why does Lieutenant Kotler behave as he does? Why does this behavior frighten Bruno? How does this event change Bruno’s perspectives of each of these characters?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze and discuss the narrative style established in the beginning of the novel. Is the story told from a first, second, or third-person perspective? Why do you think the author chooses this narrative style? Is the narrator’s perspective omniscient or limited?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the theme of innocence seen in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. In what ways does Bruno exhibit innocence in the story? How would you associate Bruno’s naiveté with the theme of innocence? Who else relates to this theme in the novel?

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