The Boy in the Striped Pajamas Pre-Reading

Which of the following is a central theme of the excerpt?

• Friends react differently to stressful situations when playing together.

• Friendship has obstacles that must be overcome to form a close bond.

• Friendship can develop between people with different preferences.

• Friends can be unaware of an inequality within the relationship.

What do the following lines from the excerpt MOST LIKELY reveal about Shmuel?

• Shmuel is too busy to eat and is annoyed with Bruno for trying to distract him from his job.

• Shmuel is hungry but is afraid he will get into trouble if he stops polishing the glasses.

• Shmuel is envious of Bruno’s sandwich and is overwhelmed by the responsibilities he has been given.

• Shmuel is determined to win Lieutenant Kotler’s respect and feels he must complete his task of polishing glasses.

Based on the actions by Lieutenant Kotler in the excerpt, which inference can most likely be made about how he will act after he asks, “Do you know this boy, Bruno?”

• He will realize he has been cruel to Shmuel and Bruno.

• He will get angrier with Shmuel for being Bruno’s friend.

• He will apologize to Shmuel and Bruno for frightening them.

• He will let Shmuel stop polishing the glasses to play with Bruno.

What do paragraph 21 and paragraph 47 of the excerpt reveal about Bruno?

• Bruno presents himself as being more courageous than he acts.

• Bruno behaves with discipline and manners in front of authority.

• Bruno shows his fear to his friend but hides his fear from others.

• Bruno has responsibilities that require him to behave maturely.

What does the reader MOST LIKELY understand about the relationship between Bruno and Shmuel that Bruno does not understand?

• That Shmuel is a harder worker and is unwilling to play with Bruno

• That Bruno’s words to Shmuel are thoughtless and inconsiderate

• That Shmuel has visited Bruno’s home many times before

• That Bruno has had more schooling than Shmuel has had

What mostly causes Bruno to recognize that he and Shmuel are dissimilar?

• The kind of glasses they own

• The type of food they eat

• How they respond to orders

• How their hands look

Choose the statements from paragraph 18 that show how Bruno tries to understand Shmuel’s situation.

• “…and wondered what was going on at Out-With…”

• “None of it made any sense…”

• “He took a knife from the drawer and cut himself a few healthy slices…”

• “…Bruno’s eyes sparkled in delight…”

Choose the statements from paragraph 18 that show Bruno's ignorance regarding Shmuel's situation.

• “…and wondered what was going on at Out-With…”

• “None of it made any sense…”

• “He took a knife from the drawer and cut himself a few healthy slices…”

• “…Bruno’s eyes sparkled in delight…”

Select the words and phrases that best describe SHMUEL:

• “sinking shoulders”

• “terrified eyes”

• “shouted”

• “glared”

• “felt guilty”

Select the words and phrases that best describe LIEUTENANT KOTLER:

• “sinking shoulders”

• “terrified eyes”

• “shouted”

• “glared”

• “felt guilty”