ANSWERS ELA Reading Guide for Letters from Rifka
Name:
Class Period:
September 2, 1919, Russia (pp. 1-15)
1.
To whom does Rifka write the letters? Tovah
2.
Where do her father, mother, and brothers hide? in the boxcars
3. Why were the guards searching for Nathan? He had deserted the Russian army.
4. What did Mama ask Rifka to hide in her bag? candlesticks
5. Why is she able to fool the guards? She had blond curly hair (not the Jewish black), and she
spoke Russian like a native.
6. Where does Rifka say she is going? To work for a wealthy family
7. What story does she tell to try to distract the guards? She tells about a large German in a small
airplane.
8. Who comes to catch the attention of the guards? Uncle Avrum
September 3, 1919 Poland (pp. 16-20)
9.
What are Rifka and her family ordered to do when the train reaches the Polish border? Take
their clothes off for an examination
10. What happens to the clothes and the bag with the candlesticks? They are taken away.
11. After the doctor examines them, what happens to them? They are sprayed with something vile.
12. When they get their clothes and bags back, what is missing? The candlesticks
October 5, 1919 Poland (pp. 21-25)
13. Why did they have to stay longer in Poland? Rifka is ill.
14. Her father had a cousin in Motziv, Poland? Where did he let them sleep? On the floor in his
shed
15. What disease does Rifka have? Typhus
16. Who is the only family member who does not get sick? Saul
November 3, 1919 Motziv, Poland (pp. 26-32)
17. Saul finds a room for them in a cheap run-down inn. What job is he doing to pay for the room?
He is sorting apples in an orchard.
18. Saul buys a herring and two rolls each morning and divides it evenly between himself and Rifka.
She decides to save most of hers one day for Saul because he is working. What happens to it?
While she sleeps, the innkeeper’s daughter comes in and eats it.
19. When Rifka is a little stronger, she walks around Motziv and finds the hospital. She looks in
through the window and sees her mother. Why does the doctor let her come in? She has
already had typhus.
20. What food does Rifka receive there? A potato
November 27, 1919 en route to Warsaw (pp. 33-40)
21. Rifka’s entire family survives, then they head to Warsaw to pick up money for the steamship
tickets. Who sent the money there for them? Rifka’s older brothers Reuben and Asher who
went to America 14 years before.
22. They make the journey to Warsaw on a noisy, crowded, stinking train. What does Rifka offer to
do for the young mother on the train? She fixes her hair.
23. What does she find on the girl’s head? Big round sores
24. Rifka does not have any paper. Where does she write her letters? She writes in her volume of
poems written by Pushkin.
November 30, 1919 Warsaw, Poland (pp. 41-46)
25. Rifka has to have another medical examination before she can go to America. What does she
learn? She has ringworm.
26. Why will the man not let Rifka go to America? Her ringworm will cause the authorities to send
her back at the company’s expense.
27. Rifka stays outside while her parents talk to another steamship company. What does she want
that lets a man take all of her money? An orange
28. What does the man call her after her parents come back and are upset? Liar and thief
December 1, 1919 Warsaw, Poland (pp. 47-50)
29. What does HIAS stand for? Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society?
30. What is happening to Rifka’s hair? It is falling out in places, and her head itches.
31. Where must Rifka go when her parents go to America? Belgium
32. What are the names of the five brothers her family has cheated Russia from having? Isaac,
Asher, Reuben, Saul, and Nathan
February 25, 1920 Antwerp, Belgium (pp. 51-60)
33. What valuable possession does Rifka’s mother give her before they separate? Her gold locket
34. What does Rifka ‘s father give her? His prayer shawl
35. What are the names of the couple who give Rifka a room to stay in in Belgium? Gaston and
Marie
36. Describe her room. It is very nice, the best she has ever had. She has a quilt of blue squares on
her bed, a little red desk, a pitcher and bowl decorated with tiny blue flowers, and a chest to
keep her clothes in. She also has a painting of wildflowers and a abraided rug to keep her feet
warm.
37. How old is Rifka in this chapter? 13
38. What present did she remember receiving when she was nine? A doll with a China head
39. What happened to that doll? Her mother and Saul had to trade it for potatoes.
40. If she had been with her parents, she would have had a mitzvah for this birthday. What does
she make to help her create her own mitzvah? She uses straw to make a Star of David.
41. Who is the nun who treats Rifka’s ringworm? Sister Katrina
42. What language is this nun teaching Rifka? Flemish
43. Who sends Rifka money? Her father
44. What does the nun want her to do more? Exercise by exploring more
45. Hannah and Tovah are sisters, but Tovah has a bad back. Their father will not give Tovah piano
lessons, but he does give them to Hannah. Why? He wants her to catch a good husband.
March 17, 1920 Antwerp, Belgium (pp. 61-65)
46. Rifka begins exploring Antwerp, then she sees a giant man who is grinning. What are his teeth
like? Made of gold
47. She is frightened and runs, then becomes lost. Who helps her find her way back to Gaston and
Marie? A milkman
July 29, 1920 Antwerp, Belgium (pp. 66-70)
48. What are some foods that Rifka buys to eat? Banana, ice cream, chocolate
49. What clothing did Rifka save her money to buy and why? A black velvet hat to cover her bald
head
September 14, 1920 Antwerp, Belgium (pp. 71-74)
50. Rifka learns that she is cured and is now free to do what? Go to America
51. What language has Rifka been studying? English
September 16, 1920 Somewhere on the Atlantic Ocean (pp. 75-80)
52. Who is the young sailor that Rifka gets to know on the ship? Pieter
53. What does he tell Rika that she is to her mother and father since she has five older brothers? A
treasure
54. The sailor is very impressed that Rifka can do what? Be so brave to travel alone and speak
different languages so well
55. What does the young man then do to Rifka that makes her wish the ship would never arrive in
America? He kisses her.
September 21, 1920 Atlantic Ocean (pp. 81-88)
56. What happened to Rifka while she was at sea? She was in a terrible storm.
57. A “pogram” is an organized massacre of helpless people (in this story it was of the Jews). When
she compares the storm to a pogram, what is she saying about the storm? It was very horrible
and caused much damage.
58. Who was the only soldier lost in the storm? Pieter
59. The ship cannot move; it must wait for another ______________ to take the passengers to
America. ship
October 1, 1920 Entering New York Harbor (pp. 89-91)
60. What sense of smell image does Rifka connect to her mother? The yeasty smell (of homemade
bread).
61. What sense of touch does Rifka connect toher father? The tickle of hos dark bear against her
cheeks
62. What does Rifka think that she will be able to do for the first time? See her brothers Asher,
Isaac, and Reuben
63. Rifka says that going to America is “not simply a place you go when you run away. America is a
place to ____________ _____________________.” begin anew
64. What does Rifka see for the first time at the end of this letter? The Statue of Liberty
October 2, 1920 Ellis Island (pp. 92-96)
65. Where is Rifka being held? In a contagious hospital on Ellis Island
66. What are the authorities afraid might happen? That Rifka will not be able to marry since she is
bald (remember Tovah and her bad back)
67. What does the HIAS lady tell her that the American government might view her as? A social
responsibility
68. What will have to happen for Rifka to stay in the United States? Her hair will have to grow back.
October 7, 1920 Ellis Island (pp. 97-103)
69. Who tries to come to visit her but cannot find her? Saul
70. Who does Rifka start taking care of? A little Polish baby
71. Who else does Rifka begin taking care of? A little boy
72. Why will he not eat? He wants to go back to Russia.
73. What is the boy’s name? Ilya
October 9, 1920 Ellis Island
(pp. 104-12)
74. Who skipped school and came to see her? Saul
75. What does he give her to eat, thinking he can play a trick on her? A banana
76. What is he surprised to learn that she knows to do? Peel the banana
77. Saul is very impressed that Rifka has learned to speak ____________. English
78. Saul breaks her ____________ and makes fun of her _______________. Star/book of Pushkin
79. Saul tells her about her family. What do Mama and Papa do each day? Work at the clothing
factory
80. Rifka gives Saul a bag of money she has saved. What does she want him to buy for their
mother? Candlesticks
October 11, 1920 Ellis Island pp. 113-19)
81. Rifka finally gets to see her mother. What does her mother bring her? A tiny honey cake
82. While her mother is there Rifka continues to help others; one of those is the baby she has been
taking care of. What disease does it have? Typhus
83. What does Rifka think is true about the little boy Ilya’s uncle? That he only wants him so that he
can make money
October 14, 1920 Ellis Island (pp. 120-25)
84. What did Ilya do that got Rifka in trouble? Played with the toilet paper
85. What does the worker do with the toilet paper? Throws it into the harbor
86. Why does Rifka think that wasting paper is one of the worst things he could do? In Russia
wasting paper is a terrible crime (remember that she has to write this series of letters around
the words of Pushkin)
87. What does she learn about paper in America? America has plenty of paper.
88. What does Rifka ask Nurse Bowen for? Some paper
89. What is she going to do now that she has paper? Write a poem
October 21, 1920 Ellis Island (pp. 126-28)
90. What happens to the baby? It dies.
91. What does Rifka think is causing her head to itch again? The ringworm is coming back.
October 22, 1920 Ellis Island (pp. 129-45)
92. Why is this the last letter that Rifka will write from Ellis Island? She will either go to New York or
be sent back to Russia.
93. The doctor believes that Ilya is a simpleton; he doesn’t understand that Ilya was trying to be
sent back to Russia. Ilya has now gained weight because Rifka got him to eat and has learned to
read Pushkin. What does Rifka get Ilya to do to show that he is smart? Read Pushkin
94. What does the uncle do after Ilya receives the stamp to enter America? Hugs him
95. Rifka argues that a girl can earn her own living even if she is bald. Who says that she could even
become a doctor? Doctor Askin explains how she has helped the sick on Ellis Island.
96. Ilya surprises everyone by speaking in English, then what does he recite? The poem Rifka wrote
97. After Rifka receives her stamp, everyone kisses her. What happens to her scarf? It falls off.
98. What is on Rifka’s head? hair