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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. Who confronts Levi after liberation?

2. What predominant emotion did survivors feel at Liberation as depicted in literature and in the movies?

3. After liberation, why did survivors feel diminished as human beings?

4. According to Levi, what creates a "convenient reality?"

5. What did Louis Darquier de Pellepoix do after he was caught?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did the Nazis hope as the tide of war turned in 1942?

2. While clearing rubble, Levi finds a spigot with fresh water. Why was this such a big deal?

3. According to Levi, why do oppressors suppress memories?

4. Why do survivors simplify the past by using stark good vs. evil distinctions?

5. What does Levi think of the theory of "incommunicability"?

6. Why did survivors not feel the happiness at liberation that is portrayed in literature and movies?

7. How do people react to having limited communication?

8. What happeneds to people who become sonderkommandos?

9. Briefly describe the Nazi death camp system.

10. Why did Alberto change his mind about consoling oneself with illusions?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One of the main themes of the book is that those who did not experience the lagers cannot judge anyone for how they acted while they were there. Do you agree or disagree with this? Why? Give examples from the book and your own ideas to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

How did the treatment of prisoners change over the course of the war? What happened as the Nazis began to suffer defeats on the battlefields?

Essay Topic 3

What would you have done if you were recruited to be a sonderkommando? How do you think you would have handled being in that situation?

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