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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 did Jan say Antonina was able to convince the German soldier of how the fire at the barracks started?

2. What did Maurycy rename the hamster?

3. What did the villa Guests do to let Jan know they did not like the way he was treating Antonina?

4. What animal did Magdalena Gross sculpt as a gift for Jan?

5. Who sold his own house to purchase apartments to hide Jews in?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. What nearly ruined Jan’s plan to bring Lonia Tenenbaum out of the Ghetto?

5. Why was Rys the one usually chosen to deliver meals to Guests staying in animal enclosures?

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

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

8. Why did Jan talk to Rys as though he were a soldier when he confronted the boy about his plan to bomb a haystack?

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

10. Why did Antonina consider Fox Man’s cat, Balbina, a good citizen of the villa?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay explaining the significance of the title of the book. Why did the author choose to write about Antonina rather than Jan? How does making Jan the protagonist of the book support Ackerman’s themes?

Essay Topic 2

When Maurycy is renamed Pawel (Paul), he gives the hamster a new name, Piotr (Peter), and says they will be like the disciples. Write an essay that explains what Maurycy means by this and what or who they will be disciples of.

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 760 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample