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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is Bruno’s response when his father asks him in his office in Chapter Five: "Out of Bounds at All Times and No Exceptions,” “What do you think? … Of your new home. Do you like it?”
(a) “No. I think we should go home.”
(b) “Yes, Father. I love it here.”
(c) “Are you sure we’ve come to the right place?”
(d) “I’m sure I’ll come to love it, Father.”

2. Pavel is said to have what nightly duties within Bruno’s family’s home in Chapter Seven: "How Mother Took Credit for Something that She Hadn't Done"?
(a) Peeling vegetables and serving dinner.
(b) Polishing silver and cooking dinner.
(c) Sweeping and mopping the house.
(d) Cleaning the kitchen and doing laundry.

3. Maria tells Bruno in Chapter Six: "The Overpaid Maid" that her mother had worked for Bruno’s grandmother in what capacity?
(a) As her dresser.
(b) As her secretary.
(c) As her accountant.
(d) As her bank manager.

4. When Bruno takes his sister Gretel to look out of his bedroom window, Maria comes charging out carrying what in Chapter Three: "The Hopeless Case"?
(a) A suitcase.
(b) A dust cloth.
(c) A feral cat.
(d) A dead mouse.

5. Bruno says of his father and all fathers in Chapter Two: "The New House" that “fathers are supposed to be” what?
(a) “Rich.”
(b) “Serious.”
(c) “Superior.”
(d) “Strict.”

Short Answer Questions

1. When does Shmuel say his date of birth is in Chapter Ten: "The Dot that Became a Speck that Became a Blob that Became a Figure that Became a Boy"?

2. How old is Bruno’s Grandmother said to be in Chapter Eight: "Why Grandmother Stormed Out"?

3. What are the names of the three best friends of Bruno’s that he must leave behind in Berlin?

4. On what date does Bruno say he was born in Chapter Nine: "Bruno Remembers that He Used to Enjoy Exploration"?

5. What does Bruno arrive home to find the maid Maria doing in the opening of Chapter One: "Bruno Makes a Discovery"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How would you describe the character of Bruno based on the reading of Chapter One: "Bruno Makes a Discovery"?

2. What does Maria relate to Bruno of his father’s actions toward her and her mother in Chapter Six: "The Overpaid Maid"?

3. What did Bruno experience of his grandmother’s argument with his father in Chapter Eight: "Why Grandmother Stormed Out"?

4. How is the character of Shmuel described in Chapter Ten: "The Dot that Became a Speck that Became a Blob that Became a Figure that Became a Boy"?

5. What is revealed on the plaque that Bruno reads in Chapter Nine: "Bruno Remembers that He Used to Enjoy Exploration"?

6. Who does “the Fury” refer to in the novel? What information does the reader learn about the Fury in Chapter Two: "The New House"?

7. What leads Bruno to go exploring in Chapter Nine: "Bruno Remembers that He Used to Enjoy Exploration"? Where does he first go?

8. How does Bruno become injured in Chapter Seven: "How Mother Took Credit for Something that She Hadn't Done"? Who helps him?

9. Would you describe Bruno’s character as “innocent” in the novel? How “innocent” are Bruno’s parents?

10. What does Gretel ask about the people in the camp in Chapter Four: "What they Saw through the Window"?

(see the answer keys)

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