View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. For what does Franta seek forgiveness from Kovály?

2. What is Kovály's ethnic background?

3. Following the end of the war, how do the Prague civil authorities handle the return of concentration camp prisoners?

4. What do people begin offering Kovály after Margolius accepts a high-ranking government job?

5. Which army reaches Prague in May 1945?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens in Prague in October of 1941?

2. What does Kovály realize by attending Communist Party meetings?

3. What brought the war to a conclusion for Kovály personally?

4. What treatment does Kovály receive following Margolius' arrest?

5. Why is Communism appealing to the Czech people after the war?

6. What examples of hardships in the ghetto does Kovály describe?

7. What happens when Nikita Khruschchev came to power in the Soviet Union?

8. What does Kovály remember about a Nazi guard named Franz?

9. Describe what occurrs in Czechoslovakia in the spring of 1968.

10. Who is arrested in November 1951 and how does it affect Margolius?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the historical relevance of this story? Why is Kovály's story important to read about? What elements of this story are relevant and why?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the struggles that Kovály faces. How does she overcome these obstacles? Are the struggles similar to others in Czechoslovakia? If not, why is she experiencing them?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the author of "Under A Cruel Star," Heda Margolius Kovály. What does the reader learn about Kovály by reading this book? What are her defining characteristics and how do these characteristics help her throughout her life? Why is her life worth reading about?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 806 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample