View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Levi contend about survivors' memories?

2. After lberation, how did Levi feel about God?

3. With which statement about Eichmann and Hoss would Levi agree?

4. According to Levi, what did survivors feel about their newly re-acquired freedom?

5. Levi's knowledge of the German language was __________ in Auschwitz.

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do historians need to study the stories of survivors?

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

3. What is Primo Levi's theory about judging any people associated with the lagers?

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

5. Levi often characterizes survivors as being privileged. What does he mean by this?

6. Briefly describe the life of Chaim Rumkowski.

7. Comment on Levi's experience with speaking/understanding German in the lager.

8. Explain the nature of human memory.

9. What does Levi consider to be his mission and why?

10. How does Levi shock Germans after the war?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Levi titles Chapter 5 Useless Violence. Do you think that violence can ever be useful? Use examples from the book and your own life to give a rationale for your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Why do the Nazis need or want prisoners in the lagers to be collaborators? Discuss different kinds of collaborators and how they benefited the Nazi agenda.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the different ways that Levi thinks memories change over time. Include at least three ways that memories change and give an example of each.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 755 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample