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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 is the first thing the defense could have cast doubt upon during the trial?

2. What is the narrator's name, and how old does Hanna think he is?

3. What color is Frau Schmitz's hair?

4. Why were the defendants transferred from Auschwitz in 1944?

5. What is Frau Schmitz doing when she lets the narrator into the apartment?

Short Essay Questions

1. At the end of Chapter 11, what are the comparisons Michael makes to his predicament with the trial?

2. As described in Chapter 10, where is Michael when he has an epiphany about Hanna? What is the epiphany, and how does Michael realize it?

3. What does Michael do, in Chapter 17, when he realizes Hanna has disappeared?

4. Describe what happened the night the church was bombed, as explained in Chapter 8,

5. Describe the five defendants' roles, and their involvement in the crimes that brought them to the trial, as described in Part 2, Chapter 5.

6. Describe the lines of reasoning the defendants (including Hanna) give for not unlocking the church doors, as explained in Chapter 9.

7. In Part 2, Chapter 4, how does Michael compare the trial to being a prisoner in a death camp?

8. How does Michael justify thinking of Hanna as a horse in Chapter 14?

9. Describe the memory the narrator discusses in Chapter 7, when he is four years old. Why is it significant?

10. Describe the building on Bahnhofstrasse.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author uses an interesting technique in the beginning of the novel; he doesn't introduce the readers to Michael until Michael and Hanna formally introduce themselves. Why is this? Why might this technique be beneficial to the story? Why not? Do you think this was a conscious decision by the author? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

What does Hanna's actions on the night of the church bombing say about her character? Or her behavior while being questioned by the judge? Is Hanna a sympathetic character? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

While Hanna is in prison, Michael resurrects his practice of reading to her. How does this simple act define their relationship? What does it symbolize? How is it connected to Michael's idea that Hanna has advanced from dependence to independence?

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