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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. When did the first Armenian genocide resolution come before the U.S. Congress?

2. What job was Balakian working at when he began reading as much as he could about the Armenian genocide, in "Before the Nazis"?

3. Who was Zia Gokalp?

4. How many katchkars were at the Holy Martyrs Armenian Church in Der Zor?

5. Who wrote The Nazi Doctors?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Balakian's aunts justify the family's inability to talk about the genocide when he was a child?

2. What was the deeper significance of the way in which Dovey's father was killed?

3. How did American Ambassador Morgenthau attempt to help the Armenians?

4. How did Balakian feel about claims that the Turkish denials fall under free speech?

5. Why did Balakian take the bones from the memorial site at Der Zor?

6. What were the Young Turks like in terms of personality and education?

7. Why did Aunt Anna likely embrace surrealism rather than realism in literature?

8. Why is Der Zor considered the Armenian equivalent of Auschwitz?

9. What was the deeper significance of the 500 pairs of shoes stolen by the Turks from Balakian's grandfather?

10. Why did Balakian question his failure to ask questions as a child when he saw the names of the dead listed on his grandmother's compensation documents?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Balakian's grandfather Diran was a physician who served during the genocide and was required at times to treat Turkish soldiers. He did so knowing that many of these soldiers were likely to return to the front to kill more Armenians. Write an essay exploring how he was able to deal with this situation. Did knowing what these men were doing impact his ability to follow the Hippocratic Oath? Why did he treat the Turkish soldiers?

Essay Topic 2

Balakian's grandmother Nafina frequently had dreams that she insisted were prophetic. How did most of the family members react to these dreams? How did Peter react to them? In what way was Nafina still tied to traditional Armenian culture through these dreams? Did Peter's father reject these prophetic dreams because he was a scientifically-minded person or because he wanted to be an assimilated American?

Essay Topic 3

Balakian did not learn about the Armenian genocide or his own family's experiences until he sought out that information as an adult. Even then, some family members questioned what he was doing. Did his family do him a disservice by hiding the truth from him for so many years? Would knowing the past have enabled him to have a different, deeper understanding of the ways his family members lived their lives in America? Or did keeping the truth from him enable him to have a normal American childhood before delving into the past on his own? Did his family's "protection" of him give him a solid ground on which to stand while confronting the horrific events of the past?

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