Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Pages 1-95

Reading Check

1. What is the physical condition Emilia attempts to hide?

2. Who does Alfred write a letter to, exaggerating his role in the German army?

3. Where does Joana’s group find Florian and Emilia?

4. What ship is Alfred sent to in preparation for refugees?

5. Who did Florian work for while restoring art in a museum?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What is Joana’s confession to Florian after she removes shrapnel from his arm in the barn?

2. What does the author reveal about Alfred’s character by this point in the novel?

3. Why does Ingrid need to hide her identity from Nazi troops?

Paired Resource

Operation Hannibal

• This article describes Operation Hannibal and the refugees’ attempt to escape the Soviet Union.
• What was the purpose of Operation Hannibal? What challenges faced the refugees in Operation Hannibal? What was the condition of the ships used in Operation Hannibal? What is considered history’s greatest maritime tragedy? How is this article’s content related to the novel’s themes of Reinventing the Familial Unit and the Coming of Age Through Trauma?