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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 1940 when Gerhard serves in the Reich Labor Service, what are his duties?

2. What does Helmuth feel that he has done as he considers what to his to his family in his last letters?

3. In 1940 when British bombers bomb Hamburg where is most of the damage done?

4. What job does Helmuth do for his church in 1940?

5. What sensation does Helmuth feel as he prepares to write last letters to his family?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is it like at the train station when Helmuth and his family say good-bye to Gerhard?

2. When Gerhard comes home in 1941, what does he look like?

3. Why does Helmuth sometimes hate Gerhard?

4. Where does Gerhard go for his mandatory Reich Labor Service and what does he do?

5. What does Duwer tell the Gestapo about his involvement with Helmuth?

6. After German troops march into France, what is done in Hamburg to prepare for war?

7. How does Helmuth feel as 1940 ends?

8. As Helmuth prepares to write his last letters to his family what does he think about what he has done?

9. When and for what is Helmuth found guilty and what is his sentence?

10. When British bombers bomb Hamburg in June 1940, what do Helmuth and Rudi say about the incident?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Helmuth has to write an essay titled “Adolf Hitler, Savior of the Fatherland.” What does Helmuth write about Hitler in his essay? Does Helmuth believe what he writes? Why does he write like he does if he believes differently? Why does Helmuth feel like a coward and a traitor after writing the essay?

Essay Topic 2

Helmuth begins to realize that Hitler and the Nazis are lying. What are the circumstances and people who influence Helmuth? How do those circumstance and people influence Helmuth and lead him to want to tell the truth?

Essay Topic 3

Mood is an element that authors use to evoke feelings in readers through the use of sensory language. What is the overall mood of the novel? Does the mood change throughout the story? What emotions does the mood evoke in readers and why?

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