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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. What kind of complex does the author write prisoners suffered from?

2. Who is this book most concerned with?

3. What does the author think about during difficult moments?

4. What kind of event does the author attend with the camp's chief officer?

5. Why does the author decide not to try to escape the concentration camp?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Frankl write about the sense of humor that developed in the concentration camp?

2. In "Experiences in a Concentration Camp," what does Frankl write happened when a train was prepared to transport prisoners?

3. After the initial mental phase that was characterized by shock, what characterized the second phase that Frankl noticed in his fellow prisoners and in himself?

4. What does Frankl claim is the difficulty of his attempt at a methodical presentation of the psychology of the prisoner?

5. How did the SS respond to changing the list of prisoners who would board transport that would transfer prisoners to another camp or would send them to the gas chambers?

6. Who were termed "Moslems" in camp? What consequences did being called "Moslem" have?

7. How does Frankl describe a "delusion of reprieve"?

8. As a new prisoner in camp, what decision did Frankl believe "marked the culminating point of the first phase of [his] psychological reaction"?

9. According to the first section of the text, "Experiences in a Concentration Camp," what advantages did the Capo have over normal prisoners?

10. According to Frankl, what were the communal showers like? What was the attitude of the prisoners as they entered their first communal shower? Why is this important to Frankl?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Frankl describes the search for meaning as a human's primary psychological motivation. Do you agree or disagree? Why?

Essay Topic 2

What informs the principles of logotherapy? Did anything beyond the personal experiences of the author influence this theory? How does Frankl's life experience and example embody or exemplify the principles of logotherapy? What do you see as the strengths and weaknesses of this theory? What do therapists practicing logotherapy do for their patients? What is the aim in logotherapy?

Essay Topic 3

Frankl's description of life in camp deals mostly with his own experience and the experiences of the men he was surrounded by. Women and children are nearly absent. Describe how you imagine life for a woman or child living under these circumstances might be different. Do you believe they would live through the same mental stages?

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