Voices of the Holocaust - Questions

 

 

 

Vocabulary:

·          Insinuation – criticism; an indirect suggestion meant to discredit someone

·          Arrogant –       too proud; boastful

·          Abated –         trailed off; calmed down

·          Regime –        government; administration

·          Zealot –           person who gets carried away with enthusiasm for a belief or a

cause; fanatic

 

Analysis:  “The Ball”

Question:  The policeman arrives to find out the truth.  How does he use his authority? 

               

                Question:  Why won’t the woman take an oath that what she says is true?

 

               

Analysis:  “Serving Mein Furhrer”

Question:  The author, Alfons Heck, says the Nazi leaders saw the Hitler Youth as “its pool of future manpower.”  What evidence supports this?

 

 

Analysis:  Address Unknown

                Question:  What do you think of Max’s revenge?

 

 

 

 

Vocabulary:

·           Beseeching – begging; asking for something urgently

·           Procession – march; a group of people walking

 

 

 Analysis:  “A Spring Morning”

Question:  How does the description of Sunday morning in the village contrast with what has happened just a few hours before?

 

               

                        Question:  Aron says, “A shelter is often a shelter, and not a salvation.”  How does this statement contrast with the final outcome of the story?

 

 

 

 

Vocabulary:

·           Dissent – protest; nonconformity

·           Heretics – Questioners; unbelievers

·           Transcended – surpassed; rose above

·           Breach – a gap or hole

·           Cyanide – a fast-acting poison

·           Insurgents - rebels

·           Retaliation – revenge; retribution

·           Prestige – honor, reputation

 

Analysis:  “The White Rose”

Question:  A leaflet distributed by the White Rose accused the Nazi government of turning evil.  Do you see evidence in this selection that the accusation was true?

 

Question:  Looking at Sophie’s statements in the courtroom, what would you say were her reasons for doing what she did?

 

 

Analysis:  “Warsaw Ghetto Uprising”

Question:  Although they were greatly outnumbered by the Germans, how did the Warsaw Jews maximize their resources as resistance fighters?

       

 

                        Question:  In your opinion, was the Warsaw ghetto uprising successful?

               

 

 

 

Vocabulary:

·           deloused – treated with an insecticide that kills body lice

·           notorious – shameful; infamous; unfavorably known

 

 

Analysis:  “Letter from Dachau”

Question:  What seems to be the attitude of the guards once the US troops arrive?

 

 

 

 

Vocabulary:

·           antagonize – oppose; make angry

·           Intercede – mediate; to act on behalf of another to solve differences

·           judiciary – court system

·           scrutinize – examine; study closely

 

Analysis:  “The Test Case”

Question:  Wiesenthal writes that in Austria and Germany there were those “who did not want to be reminded of the past.”  How does this attitude contrast with Wiesel’s statement, “For the dead and the living, we must bear witness”?

               

 

Question:  What do you think is the main motivation behind Wiesenthal’s efforts to find war criminals?