Name: __________________________________
Devil’s Arithmetic Final Questions
On a separate sheet of paper, write at least a paragraph response to each of the following
questions. Use complete sentences. Remember a good answer includes support with
specific examples from the novel and examples from outside of the novel (from your life).
1. Hannah undergoes a significant change in the novel (she’s a dynamic character
because she changes; dynamic = change). During the first few chapters she feels one
way about her family and its heritage. By the end of the novel she feels a
different way. Describe her transformation from beginning to end and how she
has changed. In your description be sure identify what events caused her to
change.
2. The primary theme (explicit) of this novel is remembering and how important it is
to remember the past. Why is it so important to remember the past?
3.
The following is a description of this novel:
“The exhausted stories of her elders become her own when Hannah
Stern visits the past in Jane Yolen's compelling, compassionate novel
The Devil's Arithmetic. It's an unforgiving journey to Poland in 1942 for
this contemporary Jewish girl. In this tribute to the indomitable nature of
the human spirit to triumph over evil, stories are the precious gifts that
survive-even when loved ones do not. Read and remember the
Holocaust.”
What is meant by, “In this tribute to the indomitable nature of the human spirit”?
How is this novel a “tribute”? How does it show “the indomitable nature of the
human spirit”?
4. The Holocaust and World War II is a story of hatred, bigotry, and of evil. One
group of people hated another (– in fact hated many other groups). The Holocaust
teaches us the evils of hatred and what it can do. However, many people
flippantly use the word hate. For example, one might say she hates the
television show American Idol; however, this isn’t real hatred. Why should we be
careful in our use of the word hate?
Name: ________________________________
Devil’s Arithmetic Vocabulary Questions
Find the vocabulary word to match with each of the following definitions from the word bank below, and
write the word neatly beside the correct definition.
Anti-Semitism-, Holocaust-, extermination-, euthanasia-, scapegoat-, persecuted-, refugee-,
collaborators-, partisans-, ghetto-, propaganda-, genocide-, Seder-, Haggadah-, malach hamaivis-, Chaya-, shadchan-, badchan-, shul-, shmatte-,
zugangi-, arbeit macht frei-, sonderkommando1.
1. the complete destruction of any living thing; annihilation
2.
2. organized program of publicity used to promote a particular point of view; select
information or lies generated through the media, including newspapers
3.
3. person blamed for others; a victim or fall guy
4.
4. Yiddish word meaning "Life"
5.
5. sign above the concentration camp gates, meaning "Work Makes You Free"
6.
6. hatred of Jews.
7.
7. book of prayer and readings for the Passover Seder service
8.
8. those who co-operated with the enemy, especially the Nazis
9.
9. deliberate extermination of a people or race
10.
10. Yiddish word for a matchmaker; someone who matches a man with a woman
for marriage
11.
11. name given to the mass murder of Jews by the Nazis during World War II
12.
12. the Angel of Death; linked to the tale of the original Passover, when Death
struck down the first-born of Egypt
13.
13. Yiddish term meaning "rags"
14.
14. a slum area of a city, sectioned off to contain the Jews, surrounded with
barbed wire, electric fence and armed guards
15.
15. bringing about a gentle death in the case of a medical condition that is
incurable and extremely painful
16.
16. title given to those prisoners who worked for the Nazis in the concentration
camps, moving bodies
17.
17. Yiddish name for a musician and entertainer
18.
18. to be the target of hostility, violence or ill-treatment, especially for religious
beliefs
19.
19. the synagogue; house of worship and religious instruction for Jews
20.
20. Yiddish word meaning new-comers
21.
21. freedom fighters; often underground or resistance fighter; a secret army
22.
22. Jewish service to celebrate Passover, with special food and prayers
23.
23. person seeking refuge or protection from war or persecution