Describe at least 2 differences between new prisoners who arrive at Auschwitz and veteran prisoners (like Yanek) who arrive at Auschwitz.
Question 35
35.
Describe the moral dilemma that Yanek faces before Fred’s death (what he wants to do vs. what he knows that he must do in order to stay alive).
Question 36
36.
How do Yanek’s actions (searching in the dead man’s pocket for food) show us how he feels about death now?
Question 37
37.
How do the Nazis punish the prisoners for the escape attempt at Birkenau?
Question 38
38.
What was the Sachsenhausen salute and why was the prisoner forced to do this?
What did the Nazis constantly tell the Jewish prisoners at Auschwitz?
A) Money will keep you alive
B) Fighting will help you survive
C) Work makes you free
D) Freedom comes at a price
In Chapter 21, why do the prisoners begin getting transported by marching by foot rather than in train cars?
A) The trains were needed for the war
B) The trains broke down and couldn't be used
C) The Nazis thought it would be a fun journey to have the prisoners walk
D) The train cars needed to be cleaned after the last set of transports occurred
What are Yanek and the others given by the Nazis for their long walk (Death March)?
A) A whole loaf of bread
B) Half a loaf of bread
C) A canteen of water
D) A bag of apples
According to Yanek, what would happen to the men if they fell behind during the "Death March"?
A) They were shot and killed by the soliders
B) They were sent back to the camp they had marched from
C) Nazis put them on a cart and pushed them
D) They were burned by the soldiers and their bodies were put in a ditch
Why did Yanek scrub his body in the cold water and rub his teeth with his wet fingers each morning?
A) He wanted to escape a clean man
B) He didn’t want to get lice at Birkenau
C) He felt it was important to remember what it was like to be human
D) Because his mother always said that cleanliness is close to godliness and being holy
What does the B stand for in Prisoner B-3087?
A) Beaten, which is what the Nazis did to the prisoners on a daily basis
B) Birkenau, which is the concentration camp he was in
C) Belgium, which is the country he was in
D) Besi'tzen, which means owned and that is what he was
What was Yanek’s trick to get a heartier dinner and avoid becoming a Muselmann?
A) Get to the front of the line while the soup was hot to get first choice
B) Save a little of his bread each night to eat in the morning
C) Get to the back of the line to get the potatoes that fell to the bottom of the soup
D) Make friends with the cook who was quite generous when you made him laugh
Yanek tries to save a young boy's life and the boy's family when he tells them -
A) to lie about the boy's age and say he's 18
B) to stand underneath the vents when the gas comes on
C) to tell the Nazis only the truth
D) to do anything the SS Officer says
An SS guard says that prisoners come in through the front gate at Auschwitz, but the only way out is through what?
A) the back gate
B) the side gate
C) the truck
D) the chimney
What does the sign above Auschwitz say about work?
A) It will kill you
B) It will set you free
C) It will make you holy
D) It makes you complete
What sound was a signal to prisoners that they were walking too slow and falling too far behind during a march?
A) Truck horn
B) Crack of a gunshot
C) Tires screeching
D) Crack of a whip
A friend the main character made in the camp; He unfortunately gets sick and when he can no longer work, he is killed by the Nazis -
A) Levi
B) Thomas
C) Isaac
D) Fred
What one mercy did the Nazis let the prisoners have on the Death March?
A) They are able to rest during the march
B) They are given blankets to keep them warm during the night
C) They are able to talk to each other as they walk
D) They let them sing during the march without any consequences
What happens to the prisoners when they get out of the gas chambers?
A) They get their heads shaved, are tattooed with prison numbers, and then are ordered to find new uniforms
B) They immediately head outside to start working
C) They are assigned specific jobs within the camp
D) The commander of the camp speaks with the group of prisoners
What prisoner number does Yanek receive?
A) T-94
B) C-1298
C) B-3087
D) D-3098
Although Yanek is tattooed and will now be seen as just a prisoner with a number, not Yanek, what mindset does he have?
A) At least he can keep working in the camp
B) He just has to keep moving forward
C) He must stay alive to protect the people in his barrack
D) At least he is alive
What kind of celebration is held in Yanek's barrack?
A) A Bar Mitzvah
B) A birthday
C) An anniversary
D) New Year's celebration
What did the prisoner tattoo symbolize for Yanek?
A) How cruel life in the concentration camp was
B) The setting of the camp that he would always remember
C) How he had lost the will to survive
D) The loss of his real identity and individuality
What words did Yanek share during the Bar Mitzvah event that he remembered from his father and his uncle?
A) “We cannot let them tear us from the pages of the world.”
B) “We are a river and we must stay afloat.”
C) “Life is full of second chances if only we will fight.”
D) “The only way to survive is to pretend that you are no one and you know no one.”
What did the women do all day and every night as mothers and their children were taken to the gas chambers?
A) Cry and keep everyone awake
B) Refuse to eat
C) Beg the guards for mercy and to take their place
D) Sing a well-known lullaby
What did Fred and Yanek talk about and imagine while on their work detail?
A) Sleep
B) Food
C) Family
D) Escaping
What did Yanek discover wrapped in colorful cloth near his bunk in his barrack?
A) A handwritten note
B) A small picture
C) Bread
D) A wooden toy horse
What did Yanek do for the boy walking beside him on the Death March?
A) Helped him escape from the march
B) Held him up and helped him walk
C) Sang to him as a form of comfort
D) Exchanged stories with him to pass the time
What gift from his mom did Yanek remember as he washed with cold water?
A) A toy bear
B) A coat
C) A comb
D) A toothbrush
How did one of the prisoners commit suicide at Sachsenhausen?
A) Grabbed a gun from a Nazi and shot himself
B) Refused to eat anything and starved
C) Threw himself on the electrified fence
D) Fell on top of a medieval sword
At Birkenau, what do Yanek and the other prisoners call the camp storehouse where the Nazis keep all of the valuables that the Jews bring with them when they first arrive at the camp?
A) Mexico
B) France
C) Canada
D) Paradise
According to Yanek, what is a benefit of leaving the prisoners stationed at the latrines during the day?
A) The prisoners are able to sleep in the latrines while other prisoners stand guard
B) The prisoners can help each other sneak food into the latrines
C) The prisoners can go to the bathroom any time they want
D) The prisoners have secret postmen who can deliver special messages to fellow prisoners
Why are Yanek and his fellow prisoners woken up and ordered outside one night in Birkenau?
A) There has been a prison break and the prisoners must be accounted for
B) The prisoners must work during the night to help build the new barracks more quickly
C) More prisoners are entering the camp and the old prisoners must be outside to greet them
D) The commandant of the camp must share a special message with the prisoners
What is Yanek's nightmare that he describes having at Birkenau?
A) He is shot on sight for not obeying a Nazi official
B) He dreams that he is killed in the gallows
C) Amon Goethe and his dogs are chasing him and he can't get away
D) He dreams that he witnesses his Uncle Moshe being killed by Amon Goethe
"Have you heard of Auschwitz? our kapo asked the new prisoners. "No? Someone's waiting for you inside. Do you know who? Death, of course. Death waits for you. Look and see."
Which type of figurative language is used in the above example from the novel?
A) Onomatopoeia
B) Simile
C) Personification
D) Oxymoron
How do Fred and Yanek first meet each other?
A) They meet when Fred tells Yanek to look in the dead man's pocket for bread
B) They meet when they're both assigned the same work detail - chopping wood
C) They meet when they sit next to each other during dinner
D) They met each other back when they were both living in Poland since they lived in the same neighborhood
What did the Nazis force Yanek and the other prisoners to do as the Nazis ate a hearty meal at Sachsenhausen?
A) Sing to them as a form of entertainment
B) Serve them their food
C) Move rocks from one side of the yard to the other
D) Entertain them with stories of their lives before coming to the camp
Why do Yanek and the other prisoners at Auschwitz believe they are going on the Death March to reach Sachsenhausen?
A) The Allies are getting closer and the prisoners needed to be moved away from the front lines
B) The Nazis are trying to kill off some of the prisoners as the winter becomes more intense
C) The camp needs more workers and Yanek and his fellow prisoners are the strongest at Auschwitz, so they are selected to go
D) The camp needs more workers to help them expand their camp and build new barracks