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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. Lisiek was shot dead by Goeth for what infraction?

2. What gift does Herr Schindler bring with him to dinner in the Prologue?

3. How much did Oskar send his father in a monthly bank draft?

4. In Chapter 8, for whose sake did Oskar Schindler attend church on Christmas morning?

5. In Chapter Two, Itzhak Stern tells Schindler the phrase that he thinks encouraged Schindler to save all those Jews later in the war. What was that phrase?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did young Olek Rosner get some water when the train from Goleszow finally stopped?

2. After some of the war crimes trials, Oskar uses money from the Joint Distribution Committee to become a farmer of sorts. What does he decide to farm, and where?

3. What did people like the Rosner brothers and Manci Rosner bring with them when they went to the countryside to "lose themselves among the peasants"?

4. When Oskar is trying to leave Brinnlitz, his car won't start. What was the cause?

5. Chapter 21 is where we see Oskar take action for the first time, speaking to Goeth about moving prisoners directly onto his Emalia property. What reason or reasons did Oskar have for doing this, and how did you see them displayed in the book?

6. Of Schindler's first arrest, Keneally writes "he would have enjoyed a radio." What does that tell you about Schindler?

7. Explain why you think pharmacist Bachner returned from Prokocim to the Cracow ghetto, rather than trying to escape to freedom.

8. Chapter 25 describes Oskar's arrangement of a tour of Plaszow by Babar and Sedlacek, complete with a miniature camera. Emalia is only recently established. Why would Oskar take such a risk?

9. Chapters 1-5 describe a point in the war when Germany was advancing quickly, yet little of the actual war movement is described. Why do you think the author chose to do this?

10. How does witnessing the activities in Krakusa Street affect Schindler?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In Chapter 11, Oskar is arrested for the first time. At the end of Chapter 11, Keneally says, "Oskar was convinced, as he thanked the man, that the acquittal was temporary." Why do you think Oskar might have believed that? He was, of course, arrested again. After the first arrest, why do you think Oskar Schindler didn't change what he was doing to avoid the future arrest? Write at least one page outlining your thoughts about Oskar's actions and motivations, and use at least one specific example from the book to back up your statement.

Essay Topic 2

The setting of a book can function almost as another character. Describe how the setting of Schindler's List, especially the descriptions of Emalia, Plaszow, and Brinnlitz, surround the characters and become part of the fabric of the story. Discuss what effect the setting has on the book as a whole, and how the book might be different if it had been set somewhere else.

Essay Topic 3

Oskar Schindler made huge sums of money during the war, yet he died penniless, supported by those he saved. He tried starting two different businesses in two different countries, both of which failed. What factors did you recognize from the book that may have contributed to his ability to succeed during the war, but inability to make money in business after the war?

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