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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. How does Chaim Levy attract the children of the village where he lives?

2. What occupation does Mordecai Levy take up after harvesting potatoes?

3. How does Benjamin believe his success in business has helped his fellow Jews?

4. Why was the Rock of Woden famous?

5. What does Mordecai Levy have to do to keep his potato harvesting job?

Short Essay Questions

1. What qualities of character does Brother Beast possess?

2. How does Mordecai answer the question of why the Just Man dies in bed, rather than in martyrdom?

3. How does Judith recognize Mordecai as a Just Man?

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

5. When Hitler becomes Chancellor of the Reich, what decision of her own does Judith regret?

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

7. How does Benjamin successfully market himself as a tailor?

8. How does the child Ernie come to feel that he is in charge of those around him?

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

10. What does Ernie do to ease the emptiness in his heart after the beating?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Schwarz-Bart includes a number of characters who represent wide segments of society in Europe in the 1930s and 1940s. In your essay, select two or three characters such as the nurse in the infirmary, the farmer's wife, the young Galician, or Herr Geek and explain what purpose they serve in presenting the reader with a panoramic viewpoint of the culture at that time.

Essay Topic 2

Evaluate this story in terms of tone and mood. Is it unrelentingly dark? Are there funny scenes? Are there lovable characters? Are all of the non-Jews evil? How does the author keep his reading audience from being overwhelmed by despair at this story? Use concrete examples and quotations from the story to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 3

Six million Jews is a very large number of people. Had they determined that it was appropriate to fight their oppressors, they could possibly have overpowered them. Why didn't they fight back? Use examples of their thoughts and actions in the story to substantiate your opinion.

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This section contains 775 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample