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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 1933, what ages of boys belong to the Hitler Youth?

2. When does Germany annex Czechoslovakia?

3. What is the name of the police inspector who gives Helmuth and Rudi a case to work on?

4. In 1942, what color prison smock does Helmuth wear?

5. How old is Helmuth in 1942?

Short Essay Questions

1. In 1942, what does Helmuth do when a loud bell clangs?

2. In 1938 when Helmuth joins the Hitler Youth, what does Hugo say and do?

3. In 1932, what do Helmuth's grandparents fear?

4. What is the Treaty of Versailles and how did it affect Germany?

5. In 1939 what happens to revenge the death of Nazi official, Ernst vom Rath?

6. in 1938 what questions does Helmuth asks that gets him in trouble and gets him and his classmates extra homework?

7. In 1933, what happens when Herr Seligmann tries to wash off the insults off his shop windows?

8. What is the Hitler Youth group, and how do its members dress?

9. In 1928 what does Helmuth see on the street when he is walking with his mother and half-brothers?

10. In 1938 how does Helmuth feel when he writes an essay saying what his teacher Herr Vinke wants to hear?

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

When Gerhard goes to serve in Paris, Helmuth gains some freedom from his mother and stepfather. How does Helmuth gain personal freedom when Gerhard leaves to serve in Paris? How does that freedom affect his thinking and the decisions that he makes?

Essay Topic 3

Helmuth reads in a book by Heinrich Mann that “revolutions are rare because people are too selfish.” What happens to people who dare to question Hitler’s government? What do most people in the novel do when they see injustice or lose freedoms? Based on what the author reveals about characters and their actions, are people too selfish to revolt against Hitler?

(see the answer keys)

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