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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. Why doesn't Judith rejoice when she becomes pregnant for the fourth time?

2. Who stays behind when the Pimpfe leave Ernie?

3. What does Mordecai determine to teach Ernie while Ernie is still young?

4. How does Benjamin defend the apostate who returns to Judaism?

5. What is each generation's joking response to "Let us speak of something gay"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did others regard Mordecai as a fallen Levy?

2. What does Ernie's act of stepping forward to protest the treatment of Frau Tuszynski cause Mordecai to do?

3. What is the role of the Lamed-Vov, the Just Men?

4. What does Ernie have in common with the German boy he meets when he runs away from home?

5. What qualities of character does Brother Beast possess?

6. Why doesn't Ernie sing with his class when Herr Geek orders him to do so?

7. What rationale does Rabbi Yom Tov Levy offer for the mass murder and suicide he instigates?

8. Why do Mordecai and Judith decide that Benjamin is like a mosquito?

9. What does Ernie think as he is surrounded by the Pimpfe bullies?

10. What does Benjamin imagine will happen to the Jews as they become acquainted with Germans?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

A great deal of this story revolves around Ernie's development as a child. In your essay, tell which of Ernie's recorded childhood events changed the man he was to become, and why you think so.

Essay Topic 2

If Ernie is the last of the 36 Just Men to exist in world history, what does this tell you about the author's hopes for the future of the world? In your essay, explain why you think he takes this position.

Essay Topic 3

Authors write for many purposes such as to entertain, to inform, to persuade, or some combination of these. In your essay, explain which purpose you believe motivated Schwarz-Bart to write this story. Use specific examples from the book itself to substantiate your opinion.

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This section contains 740 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample