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. Who is Rifka's grandmother?

2. Rifka writes in her letter that her family has escaped from which country?

3. Where are Rifka's family members taken when they get ill?

4. What is the name of the town where Rifka's family is stranded in Poland?

5. Who is Rifka's uncle who helped her family escape?

Short Essay Questions

1. What humiliating things are forced upon Rifka and her family by the guards and a doctor at the Polish border?

2. What happens when Mama, Papa and Nathan come down with typhus, and where do Rifka and Saul go?

3. What disease is Rifka diagnosed with in Poland and what is her prognosis?

4. Why is Rifka acting as a distraction on the train?

5. How does Rifka try to repay Saul for the food he earns for them?

6. What is missing from Rifka's rucksack when it is returned to her and how does she feel about the loss?

7. How is life in Russia better for Tovah than it was for Rifka?

8. Describe Rifka's personality traits and which is probably her strongest trait?

9. What is revealed about Rifka and her family, and why they had to leave Russia?

10. What is Uncle Avrum's role in helping Rifka's family escape on the train?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write a character sketch of Saul. Be sure to include both physical and emotional characteristics as well as personal motivations, fears, etc.

Essay Topic 2

Write a character sketch of Nathan. Be sure to include both physical and emotional characteristics as well as personal motivations, fears, etc.

Essay Topic 3

Karen Hesse is a master at dramatic devices. Choose an example of symbolism, metaphor, and irony, and briefly describe them and identify the technique which they embody.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 771 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample