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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. What name refers to the genocide of millions of European Jews during World War II?

2. For how long does Reuven’s family go to stay in a cottage in Chapter 10?

3. What is the financial center of the State of Israel?

4. Reuven tells Reb Saunders of his plans to become what in Chapter 18?

5. Reb Saunders views a secular Jewish state as a sacrilege and violation of what?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the relationship between Danny and Reuven illustrated in Chapter 15?

2. How is Reuven’s time spent with his father in Chapter 10? Why does Mr. Malter travel to Manhattan?

3. How are the religious studies and lifestyles of Reuven and Danny juxtaposed in Chapter 10?

4. How does the death of a Hirsch College graduate affect Reuven and his fellow classmates in Chapter 15?

5. What is the significance of Danny’s discussion of silence in Chapter 17?

6. What does Reuven remark about the relationship between Reb Saunders and Danny in Chapter 12?

7. What has Danny decided to study in Chapter 16? Why is this significant?

8. What does Reuven’s father realize about Reb Saunders’ silence with Danny in Chapter 17?

9. What gesture does Danny make to intimate his sympathy for Reuven in Chapter 14?

10. How do Reuven and Danny spend their first month of summer in Chapter 10?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the setting of Williamsburg, Brooklin in the 1930s. What ethnic and religious groups lived principally in this neighborhood at the time? How inclusive is Reuven’s neighborhood? What is a “brownstone” and how are these houses set up? How wealthy is Reuven’s family?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the themes of forgiveness and friendship in the novel. How are these themes illustrated in Reuven’s acceptance of Danny’s apology in Chapter 3? Where else is forgiveness a key theme in the novel? What does Danny’s friendship mean to Reuven?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Reuven’s dismissal of Danny’s apology in Chapter 2. What does Reuven’s father tell him about this act? How does he use the Torah in his advice to Reuven? How does Reuven’s action relate to the themes of the novel?

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