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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 did Rys tell his mother he knew more about keeping wartime secrets than she did?

2. What animal is thought to be the cause of the death of much of Napoleon's army?

3. How did Antonina know Regina Kenigswein's father?

4. What did Antonina do to try to draw less attention to the Kenigsweins so they could be moved?

5. What was Magdalena Gross's cryptonym?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why was Antonina confined to bed for several months?

2. How did the Jews respond to Himmler trying to liquidate the remaining Jews in the Ghetto in 1943?

3. Why did the Nazi’s portray Jews with rat-like faces in their propaganda?

4. What did Antonina write in her journal that the author said was as close as she ever got to writing about being an orphan?

5. Why was Fox Man’s offer of a bookkeeping job so important to Maurycy Fraenkel?

6. How did Zegota member Janina Buchholtz hide the presence of false papers in her office?

7. How was Mrs. Walter helping Jews to hide?

8. How did Jan’s observations about animal behaviors help him in his Underground work?

9. What reason did Mrs. Dewitzowa give Antonina for sending Magdalena and Maurycy back to the zoo?

10. Why does Ackerman describe Wicek the rabbit as a “fat, furry thug”?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Heck’s re-creation of extinct animal species is controversial because of his ties to the Nazis and because some people argue that the animals are merely mixes of breeds and, therefore, not a species themselves. Write a persuasive essay that takes a side in the argument. Use examples from the text and from research to support your argument.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay about the importance of Janusz Korczak to the book. Why does the author include his story? How does the author use his story to develop themes? What impact does his story have on readers?

Essay Topic 3

How does Ackerman use enemy soldiers to explore the theme of compassion? Why does she include compassionate acts by the soldiers in the book rather than portraying them as purely evil?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 749 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample