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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. Where are the children when Lore sees the crowd by the tree?

2. What motivates Helmut to exercise his arm?

3. Who does Helmut pose with in his smiling picture?

4. What does Lore leave behind when Lore and the children leave a woman's home?

5. What bad sign occurs on the first day of the children's trip?

Short Essay Questions

1. Helmut loses his parents and Gladigau is away. Helmut is often cold, hungry, and completely alone. How does he feel about the war at this stage?

2. On the first day of their trip to Oma's, Juri twists an ankle. How does this foreshadow the rest of the journey?

3. The Third Reich is at its height when Helmut is a teenager. How does this age and Helmut's life affect his acceptance and loyalty to the Third Reich?

4. Describe Lore's role in the family.

5. Although Seiffert does not say much about the farmers, what are the implied feelings of the farmers?

6. When Lore is sure Tomas is asleep, she buries the last remaining keepsakes of Vati. Why does she do this when they seemed safe in her apron?

7. Mutti tries to burn the badges but they do not burn all the way. Lore tries to throw them deep into the river, but buries them in the bushes when this does not work. What do the badges and the efforts to rid them symbolize?

8. Refugees come through Berlin and some speak of a brutal Soviet army the size of a continent. Others deny their truths and say it is not so. Why is it hard to know what is true and what is not? Who is right?

9. As part of Papi's pay, Gladigau takes family portraits while Helmut grows up. How do the family portraits play a role in this story and what progression is observed from when Helmut is a newborn to the last individual photo?

10. When the Americans question Lore, Tomas shows up with papers and tells them they are a family. What do the papers show and why does Seiffert mention a tattoo on Tomas' arm?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In Micha's story, Micha gets angry that the school only teaches about the occupation from the victim's perspective. This novel offers the German's perspective. Write a short paper on how this novel changed your ideas about WWII. Has it changed? How has it changed? Did you ever consider the human side of the German soldiers before? If so, does this novel give you a better idea?

Essay Topic 2

Describe Mutti's observation in Helmut's individual photo. Why does she see pain in the individual photo but not the family photo? Is there really pain or something Mutti thinks up?

Essay Topic 3

Micha knows very little about Opa before his research about his war's past. Micha was not even old enough to attend Opa's funeral. Yet, Micha feels shame about Opa's actions and is too embarrassed to admit his family past when he visits Belarus. Why does Micha feel shame for someone he knows very little about? What is blood relations and family history so important to Micha?

(see the answer keys)

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