"Acceptance Speech for the Nobel Peace Prize" by Elie Wiesel

In his “Acceptance Speech for the Nobel Peace Prize,” Elie Wiesel states that

receiving the prize “both frightens and pleases me.” Why does he feel

frightened?

• He believes that the honor should go to all Jewish people.

• He thinks that other activists are more deserving of the honor.

• He believes that he does not have the right to represent or speak for the

  dead.

• He worries that the honor will be forgotten, along with the horrors his

  people survived.

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When Elie Wiesel refers to “the kingdom of night” in his “Acceptance Speech

for the Nobel Peace Prize,” what is he describing?

• the unforgiving rule of the Middle Ages

• the persecution of the Jews during the Holocaust

• the incidence of injustice and suffering around the globe

• the ongoing conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis

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According to his “Acceptance Speech for the Nobel Peace Prize,” what

motivated Wiesel to speak out for the oppressed and victimized?

• the realization that the world knew about the horrors of the Holocaust but

  said nothing

• the understanding that neutrality always supports the victim, not the

  oppressor

• a desire to encourage people to become activists to eliminate injustice

• a desire to teach people to appreciate each moment of the freedom they

  have

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In his “Acceptance Speech for the Nobel Peace Prize,” the suffering of which

people is as important to Elie Wiesel as the suffering of the Jews? Choose

three options.

• Lech Walesa

• Alfred Nobel

• Nelson Mandela

• Albert Schweitzer

• Andrei Sakharov

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Which symptoms are most likely to appear in a person who has been

traumatized?

• anxiety and racing heartbeat

• pain in the hands or feet

• loss of hearing

• swollen joints

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Which event would most likely cause humiliation at a public event?

• receiving an unexpected award

• tripping on the way to the stage

• presenting a five-minute speech

• shaking hands with a new arrival

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If an article states that members of a certain group are persecuted, what does

the article mean?

• They are tried for their crimes.

• They are granted independence.

• They are treated cruelly or unfairly.

• They are brainwashed by the government.

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Read these sentences from “Acceptance Speech for the Nobel Peace

Prize.”

I remember: it happened yesterday or eternities ago. A young Jewish boy

discovered the kingdom of night. I remember his bewilderment, I remember his

anguish. It all happened so fast. . . .

I remember: He asked his father, “Can this be true?” . . . And now the boy is turning

to me. . . .

Who is the “young Jewish boy”?

• Wiesel’s childhood friend

• Wiesel, when he was a child himself

• a boy in the audience of his acceptance speech

• a boy who knows Wiesel personally as an adult

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Read these sentences from “Acceptance Speech for the Nobel Peace Prize.”

What all these victims need above all is to know that they are not alone; that we are

not forgetting them, that when their voices are stifled we shall lend them ours, that

while their freedom depends on ours, the quality of our freedom depends on theirs.

Which quotation from the speech gives the best example of what Wiesel means

by “the quality of our freedom depends on theirs”?

• And action is the only remedy to indifference: the most insidious danger

  of all.

• Isn’t this the meaning of Alfred Nobel’s legacy? Wasn’t his fear of war a

  shield against war?

• One person—a Raoul Wallenberg, an Albert Schweitzer, one person of

  integrity, can make a difference, a difference of life and death.

• As long as one child is hungry, our lives will be filled with anguish and

  shame.

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In his “Acceptance Speech for the Nobel Peace Prize,” Wiesel implies that

silence, neutrality, and indifference are connected. Which sentence best

describes that connection?

• Indifference and neutrality lead to inaction, or silence, which always

  supports the oppressor.

• Indifference, silence, and neutrality work together to encourage

  oppression and suffering.

• Silence allows people to reflect on their neutrality and move from

  indifference to action.

• People who remain silent are not merely neutral—they are indifferent and

  uncaring.

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