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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 1928, how old is Helmuth?

2. When does Germany annex Czechoslovakia?

3. In 1938 whose murder does the police inspector ask Helmuth and Rudi to find the murderer for?

4. In 1932, when does Helmuth's mother dress for work?

5. What day does the executioner work in 1942?

Short Essay Questions

1. After a radio speech Hitler makes in 1933, what does Helmuth's grandfather say about Hitler?

2. In 1932, what suggestion does Gerhard make when he sees Helmuth playing with toy soldiers?

3. What does Helmuth ask his mother after Hugo returns from riots against the Jews in 1939, and what does she tell him?

4. In 1932, what does Helmuth imagine as he plays with his soldiers and Gerhard reads?

5. What is Helmuth waiting for at school on January 30, 1933, and what does he learn?

6. In 1932, what does Helmuth's mother think about living next door to his grandparents?

7. In 1938 what does Hugo say about God and Germany?

8. In 1939, why does Hugo say that laws like not listening to foreign radio stations are necessary during wartime?

9. In a radio speech in 1933, what does Hitler say about communism?

10. In 1938 why is Rudi interrogated by the Gestapo?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The novel is told from a third-person omniscient point of view. How does having an omniscient narrator help readers understand events and characters? How does the point of view determine how readers view the story and the characters?

Essay Topic 2

At the trial, Helmuth takes full responsibility for his actions. Why does he decide to take all responsibility for the pamphlets and their distribution? What does he hope to accomplish by taking the blame, and does he succeed in achieving his purpose?

Essay Topic 3

A song that Helmuth sings and a prayer that Worbs prays in 1940 are considered subversive. What are some things that Hitler declared to be subversive? Why does he ban those things? How and why does Hitler use censorship to ban things that he considers to be subversive?

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