The Boy at The Top of the Mountain

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. What impact does Josette’s bullying of Hugo likely have on Pierrot?

A) It causes Pierrot to be excited about leaving France.

B) It creates tension between Pierrot and Anshel.

C) It motivates Pierrot to become resilient.

D) It desensitizes Pierrot to antisemitism.

2. What does Mrs. Bronstein’s desire to keep Pierrot foreshadow in the novel?

A) An important turning point in Pierrot’s life

B) Pierrot’s decision to join Hitlerjugend

C) Anshel’s eventual forgiveness of all Pierrot has done

D) Pierrot’s abandonment of Anshel in a time of need

3. How does bullying have an impact on Pierrot’s personality?

A) It makes him more determined to defend those who are weak.

B) It makes him want to be more powerful and important.

C) It has little impact on Pierrot’s mannerisms.

D) It makes him more isolated and withdrawn.

4. What aspects of Pierrot’s personality make him most susceptible to grandiosity?

A) His inferiority

B) His lack of friends

C) His pride

D) His German identity

5. How does Pierrot justify his involvement in Beatrix and Ernst’s execution?

A) He feels guilty but believes it is a necessary evil.

B) He reasons that people should be honored to die for the Nazi cause.

C) He believes it is no great loss compared to that of Hitler’s life.

D) He thinks Beatrix and Ernst were attempting to kill and deserved punishment.

6. What tools of manipulation does Hitler use to gain the obedience of individuals in the novel?

A) Intelligence and cunning

B) Rewards and compassion

C) Oaths and friendliness

D) Praise and fear

7. What might the reader conclude the author believes is a motivator for Hitler’s ideology?

A) Confidence

B) Intelligence

C) Insecurity

D) Injustice

8. What is the symbolic significance of Emil and the Detectives?

A) It represents Pierrot’s past.

B) It stands for Hitler’s friendship.

C) It epitomizes Pierrot’s rejection.

D) It exemplifies Emma’s friendship.

9. Based on Pierrot’s interactions with his peers, what might the reader conclude is one of his weaknesses?

A) Pride

B) Self-awareness

C) Self-compassion

D) Moral reasoning

10. What is the significance of the novel’s title, The Boy at the Top of The Mountain?

A) It identifies the physical location of the Berghof mansion.

B) It refers to Pierrot at the most prominent part of his life.

C) It expresses the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany.

D) It describes Pierrot’s inclination to moral behavior.

11. Why might the Hitlerjugend uniform be so appealing to Pierrot?

A) As a traitor, it provides him with belonging.

B) As a leader, it allows him to control others.

C) As a friend, it helps him to emulate Hitler.

D) As an orphan, it grants him an identity.

12. What best describes the role Hitler fills in Pierrot’s life?

A) A father

B) A leader

C) A manipulator

D) A friend

13. What best describes Pierrot’s character growth in the novel’s conclusion?

A) He makes amends by writing a book about his mistakes.

B) He feels guilty about his behavior and asks for forgiveness.

C) He becomes friends with Anshel again, foreswearing his oaths.

D) He disregards his feelings of isolation and becomes confident.

14. What is unique about the way food is portrayed in the novel?

A) It is associated with family, something Pierrot doesn’t have.

B) It brings together both good and evil characters.

C) It is often associated with cruelty.

D) It is frequently depicted as luxurious.

15. What is ironic about Pierrot’s sentencing to the Golden Mile Camp?

A) He is finally given the help he needs in enemy hands.

B) He is treated as a military officer but never was one.

C) He is again bullied at the Golden Mile Camp.

D) He learns the truth about Hitler far from Berghof.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. Why is Anshel’s forgiveness at the end of the novel important to Pierrot?

2. What is the significance of Pierrot’s name change when he arrives in Germany? What does the name change represent in terms of identity and allegiance?