V3B – THE BOY IN THE

STRIPED PAJAMAS QUIZ

Multiple choice questions

1. Why does Bruno’s family leave Berlin?

a) His parents are afraid of staying in the city
b) Mother wants to be closer to her family
c) Father gets a new job assignment
d) The family has to go into exile

2. Before being brought to Out-With, what

profession did Pavel work in?
a) Medicine
b) Dentistry
c) Law
d) Education

3. What can Bruno see from his window in the house at Out-With?
a) A garden
b) A bench
c) A fence
d) All of the above

4. Where did Lieutenant Kotler’s father flee to before the war began?
a) United States
b) France
c) Switzerland
d) Denmark

5. What was Grandmother’s job when she was younger?

a) Painter
 b) Legal assistant
c) Seamstress
d) Singer

6. Where is Out-With located?

a) Poland
b) Germany
c) Czech Republic
d) Austria

7. What is Bruno’s nickname for Gretel?

a) The Fury
b) Out Of Bounds At All Times And No Exceptions
c) Some People
d) Hopeless Case

8. What is Bruno’s favourite feature of his family’s house in Berlin?

a) Father’s office
b) The wooden balcony
c) The cellar
d) His bedroom

9. Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons Bruno dislikes Lieutenant Kotler?
a) He wears too much cologne
b) He calls Bruno “little man”
c) Gretel constantly flirts with him
d) He talks back to Father

10. What kind of books does Bruno like to read most?

a) Love stories
b) Books about German history
c) Fairy tales
d) Adventure stories
11. Why does Maria feel loyal to Father?
a) He paid for her mother’s funeral
b) She has a crush on him
c) He gave her a job in a time of crisis
d) Both A and C

12. What is Shmuel doing when Bruno finds him in the kitchen of his family’s house?
a) Polishing glasses
b) Folding napkins
c) Peeling vegetables
d) Mopping the floor

13. Why was Grandmother upset during the family’s most recent Christmas
celebration?
a) The play she wrote didn’t go according to plan
b) She disapproved of Father’s appointment to the rank of “commandant”
c) The cook burned the Christmas meal
d) She felt ill

14. When Gretel gets rid of her dolls, what does she replace them with?
a) Books
b) Maps
c) Art supplies
d) Toy soldiers

15. Who is Mother’s closest friend at Out-With?

a) Gretel
b) Pavel
c) Lieutenant Kotler
d) Maria

16. Which subjects does Herr Liszt insist on teaching?

a) Mathematics and geography
b) Literature and history
 c) History and mathematics
d) History and geography

17. What event causes Mother to convince Father to let her return to Berlin with the
children?
a) Gretel and Bruno get lice
b) Bruno asks Father about the children on the other side of the fence
c) Lieutenant Kotler beats up Pavel
d) Bruno gets caught exploring near the fence

18. What’s the weather like on the day of Bruno and Shmuel’s final meeting?
a) Sunny
b) Rainy
c) Windy
d) Snowy

19. Who is “the Fury”?

a) The leader of Germany
b) A rude man who came for dinner at the family’s house in Berlin
c) Father’s boss
d) All of the above

20. What “medicinal” drink does Mother consume regularly at Out-With?

a) Beer
b) Tea
c) Sherry
d) Whiskey

21. What does Bruno bring to his meetings with Shmuel?

a) Books
b) Food
c) Toys
d) Maps
22. Which of the following is NOT something Bruno misses about his old life in
Berlin?
a) The vegetable market
b) His grandparents
c) His three best friends
d) His school

23. When Bruno asks Father who the people in the striped pajamas are, what does
Father say in response?
a) They are war criminals
b) They are Jews
c) They are not people at all
d) They are refugees

24. On their last day together, why does Bruno join Shmuel on his side of the fence?
a) To help Shmuel find his missing father
b) To hug Shmuel goodbye
c) To see what his family’s house looks like from the other side of the fence
d) To rebel against his parents

25. What happens to Father after Bruno’s disappearance?

a) He returns to his family in Berlin
b) He’s captured and taken away by other soldiers
c) He runs away from Out-With
d) He kills himself in grief
Open questions

Quote 1
“We must all just keep ourselves safe until this is all over. That’s what I intend
to do anyway. What more can we do than that after all? It’s not up to us to
change things.”
26. Explain quote 1 by writing down who it comes from, and your interpretation of the
quote in the novel and its reader (who, situation, why).

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Quote 2
“When did you arrive at Out-With?” asked Bruno. Pavel put the carrot and the
peeler down for a few moments and thought about it. “I think I’ve always been
here,” he said finally in a quiet voice.
27. Explain quote 1 by writing down who it comes from, and your interpretation of the
quote in the novel and its reader (who, situation, why).

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28. What are the four types of conflict we learned about in class?

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29. What type of conflicts do the two characters discussed in quote 1 and quote 2
struggle with? Explain your answers.

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30. Is SCASI and acronym of an abbreviation? Explain your answer.

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KEY

1. Why does Bruno’s family leave Berlin?

His parents are afraid of staying in the city

Mother wants to be closer to her family

Father gets a new job assignment

The family has to go into exile

2. Before being brought to Out-With, what profession did Pavel work in?

Medicine

Dentistry

Law

Education

3. What can Bruno see from his window in the house at Out-With?

A garden

A bench

A fence

All of the above

4. Where did Lieutenant Kotler’s father flee to before the war began?

United States

France

Switzerland

Denmark

5. What was Grandmother’s job when she was younger?

Painter

Legal assistant

Seamstress

Singer
6. Where is Out-With located?

Poland

Germany

Czech Republic

Austria

7. What is Bruno’s nickname for Gretel?

The Fury

Out Of Bounds At All Times And No Exceptions

Some People

Hopeless Case

8. What is Bruno’s favourite feature of his family’s house in Berlin?

Father’s office

The wooden balcony

The cellar

His bedroom

9. Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons Bruno dislikes Lieutenant Kotler?

He wears too much cologne

He calls Bruno “little man”

Gretel constantly flirts with him

He talks back to Father

10. What kind of books does Bruno like to read most?

Love stories

Books about German history

Fairy tales

Adventure stories

11. Why does Maria feel loyal to Father?

He paid for her mother’s funeral

She has a crush on him

He gave her a job in a time of crisis

Both A and C

12. What is Shmuel doing when Bruno finds him in the kitchen of his family’s house?

Polishing glasses

Folding napkins

Peeling vegetables

Mopping the floor

13. Why was Grandmother upset during the family’s most recent Christmas celebration?

The play she wrote didn’t go according to plan

She disapproved of Father’s appointment to the rank of “commandant”

The cook burned the Christmas meal

She felt ill

14. When Gretel gets rid of her dolls, what does she replace them with?

Books

Maps

Art supplies

Toy soldiers

15. Who is Mother’s closest friend at Out-With?

Gretel

Pavel

Lieutenant Kotler

Maria

16. Which subjects does Herr Liszt insist on teaching?

Mathematics and geography

Literature and history

History and mathematics

History and geography

17. What event causes Mother to convince Father to let her return to Berlin with the children?

Gretel and Bruno get lice

Bruno asks Father about the children on the other side of the fence

Lieutenant Kotler beats up Pavel

Bruno gets caught exploring near the fence

18. What’s the weather like on the day of Bruno and Shmuel’s final meeting?

Sunny

Rainy

Windy

Snowy

19. Who is “the Fury”?

The leader of Germany

A rude man who came for dinner at the family’s house in Berlin

Father’s boss

All of the above

20. What “medicinal” drink does Mother consume regularly at Out-With?

Beer

Tea

Sherry

Whiskey

21. What does Bruno bring to his meetings with Shmuel?

Books
Food

Toys

Maps

22. Which of the following is NOT something Bruno misses about his old life in Berlin?

The vegetable market

His grandparents

His three best friends

His school

23. When Bruno asks Father who the people in the striped pajamas are, what does Father say in
response?

They are war criminals

They are Jews

They are not people at all

They are refugees

24. On their last day together, why does Bruno join Shmuel on his side of the fence?

To help Shmuel find his missing father

To hug Shmuel goodbye

To see what his family’s house looks like from the other side of the fence

To rebel against his parents

25. What happens to Father after Bruno’s disappearance?

He returns to his family in Berlin

He’s captured and taken away by other soldiers

He runs away from Out-With

He kills himself in grief

Acronym SCASI

Genre: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a work of historical fiction within the sub-genre of Holocaust
fiction. It also has aspects of the fable genre.

Narration / Point of View: The novel has a childlike point of view. The narrator has access to the
thoughts and feelings of the novel’s protagonist, Bruno, and his perspective dominates the tale. As a
nine-year-old boy, Bruno frequently misunderstands the adult world around him. For instance, he
doesn’t comprehend the nature or purpose of the concentration camp over which his father presides.
He also mishears the camp’s name, misunderstanding “Auschwitz” as “Out-With.”

Tone: The tone of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is fable-like yet foreboding. As a young child, Bruno
understands little of what’s going on around him. Because of this, the novel has a fable-like tone in
which Bruno sees everything as an adventure. Yet, as Bruno slowly learns more about the desolate
realities of the camp, the tone of the novel grows increasingly foreboding.

Setting: The novel is set in Berlin, Germany, and the Auschwitz concentration camp in Nazi-occupied
Poland in 1943 during World War II.

Foreshadowing: Bruno’s observation that the train across the platform appears too crowded
foreshadows Shmuel’s recollection of the crowded prisoner train that transferred him and his family
to Out-With Camp. Lieutenant Kotler’s revelation that his father escaped Germany in 1938
foreshadows his sudden disappearance from Out-With Camp. The fact that Bruno and Shmuel share
the same birthday foreshadows their shared fate in the gas chamber.

Major Conflict: The novel’s major conflict arises when Bruno’s family is forced to move from their
home in Berlin to a desolate place in Poland. Isolated, friendless, and far away from the familiar
comforts of home, Bruno rails against the injustice of his situation. He also feels confused about the
people in the striped pajamas he can see from his bedroom window, living on the other side of a tall
fence.

Rising Action: Bruno adjusts to his new life in Poland and slowly learns more about “Out-With” Camp,
for which his father serves as commandant. Bruno grows to detest the cruelty and patronizing
behaviour of German soldiers like Lieutenant Kotler, and he develops empathy for those with less
power, including his family’s housekeeper, Maria, and a Jewish prisoner named Pavel, who helps
prepare and serve the dinner meal. Bruno also befriends Shmuel, a boy from the other side of the
fence whom he meets one day while out exploring. The two boys meet frequently and tell each other
their life stories. They finally make a plan to disguise Bruno in striped pajamas and search together for
Shmuel’s missing father.
Climax: On a rainy day, Bruno changes into striped pajamas provided by Shmuel and crawls under the
fence into Out-With Camp. After a failed search, the boys are herded into a gas chamber with a large
group of prisoners.

Falling Action: Bruno never returns home, and his parents search for him in vain. Mother and Gretel
depart for Berlin, and Father remains at Out-With. He pieces together that Bruno likely perished
inside the camp and is overcome by grief. He is ultimately removed from duty.

“We must all just keep ourselves safe until this is all over. That’s what I intend to do anyway. What
more can we do than that after all? It’s not up to us to change things.”

Maria speaks these words to Bruno in Chapter 7. Upon learning that his family had to leave their
beloved house in Berlin, Bruno complained about having to uproot his life. When directed toward his
parents, his complaints had little effect. So, Bruno sought solidarity elsewhere and asked Maria, the
family’s maid, what she thought about the family’s move. Bruno assumed that Maria would take his
side and support him in his complaints, but she refused to state an opinion of her own. She explained
how Father had supported her through tough times in her life. Father had paid for her mother’s
medical expenses as well as her funeral. He had also given Maria a job when she was on the brink of
destitution. For these reasons, Maria concluded that Father was a good man and didn’t want to
criticize him or his decisions. Likewise, she encouraged Bruno to respect his father and simply accept
their new situation without hoping to change it. This is the sentiment she expresses in the quote
above.

However, Maria’s advice to Bruno has chilling implications, particularly since the narrator provides
evidence that she does not support Father’s work as the commandant of Out-With Camp. In Chapter
2, for instance, Maria made an oblique comment that showed her disapproval. When Bruno
complained that one of the soldiers in the house looked too serious, Maria responded: “Well, they
have very serious jobs. . . or so they think anyway.” Maria’s comment slyly criticizes the soldiers and
their commitment to the cause. Clearly, she has less faith than they do in the importance of the
mission at Out-With. And yet, despite her disapproval, Maria refused to speak out against the
atrocities she knew the soldiers were committing just outside the house. Instead, she convinced
herself that she bore no personal responsibility for what was happening at Out-With. She expressed
this belief to Bruno when she said she simply intended to keep out of harm’s way, then asked, “What
more can we do than that after all?” Maria believed that she could avoid responsibility for what was
happening at Out-With by willing herself into a state of ignorance. As the reader sees, however, her
silence made her complicit in the violence.

“When did you arrive at Out-With?” asked Bruno. Pavel put the carrot and the peeler down for a
few moments and thought about it. “I think I’ve always been here,” he said finally in a quiet voice.

This exchange between Bruno and Pavel appears in Chapter 7, and it marks the first time the two
characters speak to each other directly. Bruno had seen Pavel around the house prior to this
conversation, and he thought the older man was just another house servant, like Maria. Earlier this
same day, Lieutenant Kotler had ordered Pavel to help Bruno locate a spare tire for a tire swing, but
the two characters did not have a real chance to interact until Bruno hurt himself in an accident on
his new swing. Pavel saw Bruno fall from his position near the kitchen window where he peeled
vegetables for the family’s dinner. Since no other adults were at home, Pavel rushed out of the house
himself, picked Bruno up, and brought him to back to the kitchen. There, Pavel located a first aid kit
and patched up Bruno’s scrape. Bruno worried that he might die from his wounds, but Pavel assured
Bruno he’d survive. Pavel was a doctor before coming to Out-With, so he knew what he was talking
about. Confused about why a doctor would be peeling vegetables, Bruno asked when Pavel had come
to Out-With.

Pavel’s response that he’d always been at Out-With made little sense to Bruno. However, the reader
with a general understanding of European history can interpret Pavel’s comment as referring to the
fact that a bias against Jewish people existed in Europe long before the Nazis came along. This bias
against Jewish people is also known by the term anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism has a long and complex
history in Europe. Thus, when the leaders of Nazi Germany formulated their plan to exterminate
European Jews, they drew on an already established tradition of scapegoating Jews for problems they
did not cause. As an elderly Jewish man, Pavel fully understood Europe’s long history of anti-
Semitism. Indeed, he had personally suffered abuse from anti-Semites his entire life. For this reason
he told Bruno that he’d always been at Out-With. The horrific atrocities committed at Out-With and
other concentration camps may appear extreme, but for Pavel these camps merely symbolize
European anti-Semitism taken to its logical conclusion. Since he has lived in the shadow of anti-
Semitism his whole life, he has, in a sense, always been imprisoned in some version of Out-With.

For the test:

“He never felt so ashamed in his life; he had never imagined that he could behave so cruelly. He
wondered how a boy who thought he was a good person really could act in such a cowardly way
towards a friend.”

This quote comes from Chapter 15 just after a harrowing incident that took place in the kitchen at
Bruno’s house. Bruno had entered the kitchen feeling upset about a frustrating exchange he’d just
had with Lieutenant Kotler. When he walked into the kitchen, he felt shocked to find Shmuel sitting at
the kitchen table, polishing glasses for a party that would take place that evening. Bruno pulled some
chicken from the refrigerator for a snack, but, still preoccupied by his annoyance with the lieutenant,
he neglected to offer any to Shmuel. Bruno caught himself after a moment and, seeing how hungry
Shmuel was, pulled more chicken out for him. Shortly thereafter, Lieutenant Kotler entered the
kitchen. He flew into a rage when he spotted the grease on Shmuel’s lips, and he accused the boy of
stealing. When Shmuel told the Lieutenant that Bruno had given him the chicken, the soldier turned
his anger toward Bruno. Bruno tried to explain that Shmuel was his friend, but when Lieutenant
Kotler demanded to know how the boys had met, Bruno said he’d never seen Shmuel before. In this
quote, Bruno expresses his sense of shame for denying their friendship.

Bruno’s expression of shame has important implications for the development of his character and for
the development of the novel itself. On the one hand, Bruno’s emotionally intense recognition of his
failure to stand by his friend shows his growth as a person. As he realized how his actions affected
others, Bruno developed a greater capacity for self-reflection and empathy. On the other hand, the
particular language used to express Bruno’s moment of crisis points to a broader question that stands
at the heart of the novel. As the narrator reports, Bruno wondered how he could still consider himself
a good person after treating another person so cruelly. The question Bruno asked himself could also
apply to other characters and especially to Father. The novel’s major characters consider Father a
good man. And yet, as commandant of Out-With Camp, Father personally oversaw the murder of
thousands of Jews. Thus, even as Bruno struggles to come to terms with his own internal
contradictions, the novel asks the reader to consider a bigger question. That is, how could Germans
like Father still consider themselves good people when they participated in the genocide of their
neighbors?

“And that’s the end of the story about Bruno and his family. Of course all this happened a long time
ago and nothing like that could ever happen again. Not in this day and age.”

These closing words of the novel have a fable-like quality that ironically emphasizes how little like a
fable the story actually is. The novel’s title page refers to the book as “a fable.” The term fable refers
to a short tale that is intended to teach a moral lesson. Like fairy tales, fables often take place at some
unidentified point in the distant past. This storytelling strategy removes the narrative from any
obvious historical or cultural context and hence enables the central moral to shine more clearly.
When the narrator insists that “all this happened a long time ago,” he or she is referencing the
tendency for fables to exist in the distant past. And yet, by the end of the novel, the reader
understands that all the events recounted about Bruno and his family did not take place in some
distant past. In fact, they all happened less than one hundred years ago. Furthermore, the events of
the story take place in the very particular historical and cultural context of twentieth-century Europe.
In these senses, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is no fable.

The novel also breaks with the fable genre in its use of realistic characters. Many fables recount
stories of heroes or gods. Others, such as Aesop’s Fables, feature animal characters. The use of animal
or other non-human figures in fables has the advantage of simplifying characters to one or two major
traits, which makes it easier to clarify a moral. Consider the well-known fable of the Tortoise and the
Hare. Even though Tortoise is slow, he ultimately wins a race against Hare because he is consistent in
moving toward the finish line. Hence the moral: slow and steady wins the race. By contrast, The Boy
in the Striped Pajamas focuses on flawed human characters who have complex emotional responses
to their circumstances. Such complexity makes it more difficult to determine a single moral lesson.
Thus, it is not clear at the end of the novel who, if anyone, bears full responsibility for Bruno’s death.
Although Father blamed himself, the truth is more complicated. The lack of a clear moral makes it
more difficult for the reader to believe the narrator’s final claim that nothing like what happened to
in the novel could happen again and leaves the reader with a sense of unease.