Prisoner B-3087

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-book review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following best describes what is communicated by the narrator’s tone in Chapter 1?

A) Excitement

B) Abhorrence

C) Regret

D) Shame

2. During his time in the ghetto, Yanek shares the following reflection: “With each passing day I grew thinner and thinner, until hunger was my constant companion” (Chapter 6). Which of the following literary devices best labels Yanek use of figurative language in this quote?

A) Metaphor

B) Simile

C) Allusion

D) Irony

3. What does Yanek swear to himself?

A) That he will find his sister

B) That he will survive

C) That he will look for Uncle Moshe

D) That he will become a doctor in America

4. Which of the following words best describes Amon Goeth?

A) Dedicated

B) Empathetic

C) Milquetoast

D) Bloodthirsty

5. What does Yanek’s time in the Wieliczka salt mine remind him about life?

A) That there is still beauty in this world

B) That there is only sadness and despair in the future

C) That one must help others in order to survive

D) That all was lost in the concentration camps

6. The death of the former Judenrat policeman in Chapter 13 is an example of which of the following themes?

A) The persistence of memory

B) The desire for equality

C) The contentment of the Jewish life

D) The fear of the Nazi soldiers

7. Which of the following words best describes the mood of Yanek and his companions as they first enter the Birkenau showers in Chapter 16?

A) Relief

B) Shame

C) Apathy

D) Panic

8. Throughout the novel, Yanek uses which of the following words to describe survival in the concentration camps?

A) Funeral

B) Community

C) Game

D) Prison

9. In Auschwitz, Yanek remarks, “I knew what death looked like by now. Death and I had become old acquaintances. We knew each other when we passed on the street” (Chapter 20). Which of the following literary terms most closely matches the figurative language Yanek use in this quote?

A) Simile

B) Personification

C) Metaphor

D) Allegory

10. In what way does Chapter 22 mark a shift in how Yanek thinks about survival?

A) He realizes that Uncle Moshe was right and he must help the older prisoners.

B) He decides that he cannot help the women and children any longer since he must focus on himself.

C) He resolves to focus on stealing bread from the dying prisoners.

D) He questions why survival must be equated with individualism, as they could be stronger in a community.

11. By Chapter 26, how does Yanek feel about death?

A) Fearful

B) Concerned

C) Welcoming

D) Apathetic

12. Which of the following best describes why Yanek works in the concentration camps?

A) To make money

B) To continue surviving

C) To find friends

D) To maintain a positive outlook on life

13. The novel’s description of the conditions of the animals in the Buchenwald Zoo is best understood as using which of the following literary devices?

A) Metaphor: It is a metaphor for the importance of livestock for the Nazi German party.

B) Simile: It is a simile that communicates differences between communists and Nazis.

C) Irony: It is an example of how animals are treated better than the prisoners.

D) Allusion: It is a biblical allusion to the Garden of Eden.

14. Which of the following words best summarizes how Yanek initially feels about his newfound freedom?

A) Anxious

B) Relieved

C) Exhilarated

D) Enraged

15. Which is the best word to describe the Americans’ attitude towards Yanek in Chapter 30?

A) Disrespectful

B) Respectful

C) Indifferent

D) Arrogant

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. Describe the narrative point of view of the novel. How does this point of view shape the story and how readers experience the story?

Name the concentration camps Yanek was imprisoned in and describe the strategies he used to survive.