The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Reading Check questions are designed for in-class review on key plot points or for quick verbal or written assessments. Multiple Choice and Short Answer Quizzes create ideal summative assessments, and collectively function to convey a sense of the work’s tone and themes.

Chapters 1-5

Reading Check

1. How old is Bruno?

2. What is the name of Bruno’s sister?

3. Who is Maria?

4. What does Bruno see from his new bedroom’s window?

5. What does Bruno’s father say in response to his question about the people wearing “pajamas”?

Multiple Choice

1. While living in Berlin, Bruno complains about having to keep their lights off at night. This is most likely an allusion to which of the following?

A) bombing raids

B) wartime rationing

C) the family’s poverty

D) the secrecy of his father’s work

2. Which of the following best characterizes Bruno’s attitude towards his father’s work?

A) hostile and skeptical

B) engaged and appreciative

C) curious but anxious

D) proud but naive

3. Which of the following quotes most emphasizes the shared humanity of those inside and outside the concentration camps?

A) “[Bruno] put his face to the glass and saw what was out there, and this time when his eyes opened wide and his mouth made the shape of an O, his hands stayed by his sides because something made him feel very cold and unsafe” (Chapter 2).