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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. Which group of Yanek's family members argues with Oskar about his estimate of the war's length?

2. Yanek entertains the family in Chapter 1 with the use of which object he had created himself?

3. Yanek spends which years inside the Plaszow concentration camp?

4. Which member of Yanek's family feels most strongly that the family should come out of hiding?

5. Which literary technique does Gratz use when he chooses the member of Yanek's family who will appear again at Plaszow labor camp?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe an instance when Gratz makes it clear that adaptability is a crucial skill for any Jewish person living in Nazi-occupied parts of Europe.

2. Who is Amon Goeth?

3. In what way does Gratz demonstrate the importance of religious beliefs and traditions within Yanek's family?

4. What message about the fear of the unknown is depicted within the novel and in what scene does the theme appear?

5. How does Gratz depict a change in Yanek that occurs after he has his bar mitzvah?

6. Which of Yanek's family members teaches him about the importance of remaining invisible?

7. In what year, month, and physical setting does the novel Prisoner B-3087 open?

8. On what occasion is Yanek permitted to return to his family's former apartment?

9. In what way does Yanek discover that his Uncle Moshe is alive?

10. Who witnesses the capture of Yanek's parents?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Gratz’s use of metaphor, simile, imagery, and other literary devices as a means to send particular thematic messages within the narrative of Prisoner B-3087.

Essay Topic 2

Choose an object from Prisoner B-3087, such as the Star of David armband, the rooftop door, or some other symbolic object and discuss its overall meaning and its connection to themes within the text.

Essay Topic 3

William Faulkner once famously claimed that the most important literature deals with the subject of the human heart in conflict with itself. Explain how the theme of Human versus Self is demonstrated within Gratz’s novel Prisoner B-3087. Create a decisive, arguable claim and prove it with quotes from the novel.

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