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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 time of day on October 27, 1942, does a guard bring Helmuth paper and pen?

2. What time of day do the Gestapo come for Helmuth and Duwer in 1942?

3. When Helmuth was found guilty, when was it said that his execution would take place?

4. At Gestapo headquarters in 1942, how are Helmuth and other prisoners required to stand?

5. When do the Nazis declare war on Russia?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the interrogation room like when Helmuth is interrogated a second time by the Gestapo?

2. When British bombers bomb Hamburg in June 1940, what do Helmuth and Rudi say about the incident?

3. Why does Helmuth sometimes hate Gerhard?

4. As 1940 ends, how is the war proceeding and what rumors are heard?

5. How do the Gestapo agents search Helmuth's grandparents' apartment, and what do they find?

6. As Helmuth prepares to write his last letters to his family what does he think about what he has done?

7. After German troops march into France, what is done in Hamburg to prepare for war?

8. When Helmuth tells Hugo what he is writing his thesis for graduation, what does Hugo tell him?

9. How does Helmuth feel as 1940 ends?

10. What does Helmuth discover at his workplace after he graduates from school?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The novel is told from a third-person omniscient point of view. How does having an omniscient narrator help readers understand events and characters? How does the point of view determine how readers view the story and the characters?

Essay Topic 2

Helmuth has to write an essay titled “Adolf Hitler, Savior of the Fatherland.” What does Helmuth write about Hitler in his essay? Does Helmuth believe what he writes? Why does he write like he does if he believes differently? Why does Helmuth feel like a coward and a traitor after writing the essay?

Essay Topic 3

The novel takes place in Germany during Hitler’s rise to power and World War II. Does the setting serve as a backdrop or does it almost take on the role of a character? How does the setting evoke feelings and set the tone in the novel?

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