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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 was the zoo's cryptonym?
(a) The Lynx House.
(b) The Monkey House.
(c) The House Under a Full Moon.
(d) The House Under a Crazy Star.

2. What event were Jan and Antonina preparing for when the war began?
(a) The sale of the zoo to Germany.
(b) A tour of the zoo by important political figures.
(c) National Animal Awareness Day.
(d) The International Association of Zoo Directors' annual meeting.

3. What is an aurochs?
(a) A bull.
(b) A horse.
(c) A bison.
(d) A bird.

4. What language was illegal to speak in Warsaw during the German occupation?
(a) French.
(b) Hebrew.
(c) Polish.
(d) German.

5. What did the Germans refuse to purchase for the pigs?
(a) Vaccinations.
(b) Deworming medicine.
(c) Straw.
(d) Vitamins.

Short Answer Questions

1. What kind of animal was Rys's pet named Morys?

2. After Antonina heard that the Polish army was going to surrender, who delivered a message to the contrary?

3. When Antonina ventured outside of the store they were sheltered in, what did she see falling from the sky?

4. What was the name of the river that bordered the zoo?

5. According to legend, what did the word Poland sound like in Hebrew that made the Jews want to go there?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why were Antonina’s parents killed when she was nine?

2. Why did the Zabinskis frequently invite non-Jewish visitors to the villa?

3. What made Antonina feel hopeful at first when Lutz Heck came to visit the villa?

4. Why was Antonina shocked by what Lutz Heck said about Germany’s chances of the war?

5. How does the author describe the sounds of the zoo in the morning before the war?

6. What special ability did Antonina have that Jan described as “metaphysical waves”?

7. Why was Antonina glad Rys was not with her when she travelled back to the country home after visiting Jan in Warsaw?

8. Why were the Warsaw Zoo’s polar bears shot by Polish soldiers?

9. Why were Jan and Antonina so frightened when they witnessed a trolley being bombed?

10. Why did Jan feel such a strong connection with the Jews?

(see the answer keys)

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