Review: Unit 3 Benchmark Test

In “I Loved My Grandmother, But She Was a Nazi,” what is the implied main idea of paragraph 6?
(6) My grandmother would shrug and answer, “He said a lot of things — I didn’t listen to all of them.” Didn’t she see Jews being rounded up and taken away, or at a minimum, harassed by the police? No, she maintained, not in the countryside where she lived. And anyway, she was focused on her own problems, on making ends meet, and, once the war began, protecting her children.

• The author’s grandmother was able to ignore the horrible things going on around her and focus only on her own problems.
• The author’s grandmother shrugged.
• The author’s grandmother lived in the countryside.
• The author’s grandmother needed to protect her children.

In “I Loved My Grandmother, But She Was a Nazi,” what is the implied main idea of paragraph 8?
(8) My grandmother’s understanding, it seems, was only a piece of a larger picture. She only saw a part of the whole. The part that she chose to see and hear was appealing. Hitler brought back jobs and opportunity, restored national pride and told seductive, simplifying lies; in the beginning, my grandmother, like many Germans, believed, for instance, that Germany’s war against Poland was begun in self-defense. (In 1939, Nazis wore Polish Army uniforms and staged a takeover of a German radio station. Hitler said it was an act of provocation by the Poles.)  

• Hitler told lies to simplify the world.
• Hitler brought back jobs and opportunities to white Germans.
• The author’s grandmother was completely innocent.
• The author’s grandmother chose to see and hear what she wanted to.

In “I Loved My Grandmother, But She Was a Nazi,” what is the overall theme?

• The author’s grandmother was a Nazi.
• It is not acceptable to use willful ignorance as an excuse for letting bad things happen.
• When you’re in a difficult situation, you should just pretend that bad things aren’t happening.
• It is best to sit back and let others make decisions for you, especially when morals are involved.

Use the paragraph below to answer this question.
(12) My grandmother heard only what she wanted from a leader who promised simple answers to complicated questions. She chose not to hear and see the monstrous sum those answers added up to. And she lived the rest of her life with the knowledge of her indefensible complicity in the devil’s arithmetic.
Paragraph 12 reflects a feeling of:

• Happiness/ Joy
• Sadness/ Regret
• Terror
• Loneliness

Which point of view does the author of “I Loved My Grandmother, But She Was a Nazi” use in this article?

• First person, limited to the author
• Third person, limited to the grandmother
• First person, limited to the grandmother
• Third person, as an observer

Maria is writing a paper to convince other middle school students to study the Holocaust. Which sentence would work best as her thesis statement?

• The Holocaust was terrible.
• The Holocaust happened during World War II.
• Middle school students should learn about the Holocaust to honor the survivors, remember the dead, and make sure history doesn’t repeat itself.
• Metz Middle School students are 7^th and 8^th graders.

Use the passage below for this question.
If you want to meet your favorite celebrity, you should write him/her a heartfelt letter. The note should be hand-written. Ultimately, this will help you impress your favorite celebrity! Therefore, this method will show the celebrity that you care.
Which transition word would best replace Therefore in the passage?

• For example,
• However,
• In addition,
• On the other hand,