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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. Where would Zvi eventually settle?

2. What does Bird wonder about his mother?

3. What does Leo see?

4. Years earlier, what does Leo do when he finds out what kind of typewriter Isaac uses?

5. What does Alma print?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Alma do on Saturday morning?

2. What does Zvi do when he gets to Alma's name in the book?

3. What does Alma do when she goes into Bird's room while he is sleeping?

4. How does Bird react when the rain stops and the firemen tear down his ark?

5. What happens when Alma Singer ends up at the address given for Alma Moritz?

6. What happens the night before Zvi dies?

7. What does Zvi not think about when he copies the pages of Leo's book?

8. Describe Zvi and Rosa courtship.

9. What has Bird written in his journal?

10. What does Leo realize when he reads an article in a magazine?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Leopold Gursky is one of the narrators.

Part 1) Describe him. How does the author give you information about this character throughout the story? How does this connect with what is being learned about other characters?

Part 2) What type of narrator is Leo? Do you feel that having the story narrated by him is effective? Why or why not?

Part 3) How can the reader relate to this character? Why? How can you relate to him? Why?

Essay Topic 2

One theme is about surviving after a loss.

Part 1) How is this a theme?

Part 2) How do the various characters survive after a loss? Are they able to overcome their grief? Why or why not?

Part 3) How might you survive after a loss? Is there a character whose way of grieving you can understand the most? Why?

Essay Topic 3

Another theme is of personal histories of love.

Part 1) How is this a theme?

Part 2) What personal histories of love are described?

Part 3) What is the purpose for having these personal histories of love? How do these stories engage the reader?

(see the answer keys)

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