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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. Who comes to the farm a few weeks after Piri's new sister is born?

2. What was Piri's mood about school and her future?

3. Where did Father expect his battalion to go?

4. What did Mother give Piri now that she was in the city?

5. What did Piri know about the political situation in 1939?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Father's visit home.

2. Describe Piri's parents' visit to Komjaty.

3. Describe Piri's family's friendship with Mrs. Gerber.

4. What news did Piri get from Lilli?

5. How did Piri communicate with her family in Beregszasz?

6. How did Piri get food and supplies in Beregszasz?

7. Describe the woman mother helped.

8. What conflict does Piri witness?

9. What did Farenc say about Babi's desire to ship the children to America?

10. What happened when Piri's mother inquired into sending the girls to America?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Siegal distinguish the memoir genre from the novel? How is 'Upon the Head of a Goat' literary in spite of itself? What novelistic features does 'Upon the Head of a Goat' have (allusions, foreshadowing, symbols, plotting) and how does Siegal make attempts to keep the writing real and urgent and true to life?

Essay Topic 2

'Upon the Head of a Goat' is obviously a coming of age tale. To what extent is Piri initiated into the world of the Holocaust, and to what extent is she initiated into the world of her family? What lessons is Piri learning throughout 'Upon the Head of a Goat', and what is the sphere where they are meant to be meaningful?

Essay Topic 3

Two characters, Lujza and Dr. Feher, commit suicide rather than face the horrific nature of the times. What separates the characters who endure and the characters who fold? How does Siegal address this difference? Using examples from the text, describe the difference between survivors and the people who killed themselves.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 789 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample