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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 Gunther is introduced, he is anticipating a trip to where?

2. Why does Ida allow Ninuzzu to have a dog?

3. What rules were created by the new ordinance which went into effect at the end of 1943?

4. Who is Alfio?

5. What was the cause of death for the patriarch of the family from Genzano?

Short Essay Questions

1. What concerns does Ida have about Nino and herself, in 1940?

2. What happens to Blitz when Nino leaves to serve in a battalion?

3. What is happening to the Jews in the ghetto, in 1941?

4. What happens to Carlo after he leaves the shelter in 1943?

5. What happens between Ida and Gunther?

6. How does Ida respond to the air raid sirens, beginning in 1943?

7. What was the Italian Racial Law?

8. How does Useppe respond when he is left alone by Ida as a baby?

9. How does Ida and Useppe's living situation change in 1944?

10. What health problem does Ida experience as a child, and how do her parents feel about it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Nino is brazen and belligerent, obnoxious and disrespectful, but still a sympathetic character in many ways. Why does he behave the way he does toward his mother? Is he a bad person, or simply an immature boy with character flaws, trying to survive in a difficult situation? How do his feelings for his brother and dogs change the reader's perception of him? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 2

There are strange and surreal events in the novel, such as Caruli's story about the dirigible, which don't make sense, and which make the reader question the validity of the rest of the events. Why does the author make the truth of these events so ambiguous? What literary purpose do they serve? Are they effective? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

Ida often leaves Useppe home alone, either because she has to go to work, or because she is too ashamed to be seen with him. What effect do the long solitary hours have on Useppe? Does he seem bothered by the solitude? Why or why not? How might a child of a different disposition react to his situation? Why? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

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