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

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 10mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

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?

a)

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

b)

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

c)

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

dead.

d)

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

people survived.

2.

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

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

a)

the unforgiving rule of the Middle Ages

b)

the persecution of the Jews during the Holocaust

c)

the incidence of injustice and suffering around the globe

d)

the ongoing conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis

3.

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

motivated Wiesel to speak out for the oppressed and victimized?

a)

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

said nothing

b)

the understanding that neutrality always supports the victim, not the

oppressor

c)

a desire to encourage people to become activists to eliminate injustice

d)

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

have

4.

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.

a)

Lech Walesa

b)

Alfred Nobel

c)

Nelson Mandela

d)

Albert Schweitzer

e)

Andrei Sakharov

5.

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

traumatized?

a)

anxiety and racing heartbeat

b)

pain in the hands or feet

c)

loss of hearing

d)

swollen joints

6.

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

a)

receiving an unexpected award

b)

tripping on the way to the stage

c)

presenting a five-minute speech

d)

shaking hands with a new arrival

7.

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

the article mean?

a)

They are tried for their crimes.

b)

They are granted independence.

c)

They are treated cruelly or unfairly.

d)

They are brainwashed by the government.

8.

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”?

a)

Wiesel’s childhood friend

b)

Wiesel, when he was a child himself

c)

a boy in the audience of his acceptance speech

d)

a boy who knows Wiesel personally as an adult

9.

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”?

a)

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

of all.

b)

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

shield against war?

c)

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

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

d)

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

shame.

10.

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

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

describes that connection?

a)

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

supports the oppressor.

b)

Indifference, silence, and neutrality work together to encourage

oppression and suffering.

c)

Silence allows people to reflect on their neutrality and move from

indifference to action.

d)

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

uncaring.

11.

What claim about the value of personal action does Wiesel make

toward the end of “Acceptance Speech for the Nobel Peace Prize”?

a)

No one person may speak for the dead.

b)

One person can make a difference between life and death.

c)

Victims of hunger are as worthy as victims of persecution.

d)

Every continent contains examples of human rights violations.

12.

As expressed in his “Acceptance Speech for the Nobel Peace Prize,” what is

Wiesel’s attitude toward the Palestinians?

a)

He thinks that they should be more understanding of oppressed people.

b)

He thinks they are too indifferent to the fate of those around them.

c)

He sympathizes with them but disapproves of their violent tactics.

d)

He wishes that they would follow the path of Nelson Mandela.

13.

At one point in his “Acceptance Speech for the Nobel Peace Prize,” Elie Wiesel

mentions Alfred Nobel, for whom the prize is named. What is the most likely

reason for mentioning Nobel?

a)

to suggest that Nobel would have been a worthy recipient of the prize

b)

to connect the actions that Wiesel calls for to Nobel’s own actions

c)

to show how one freedom fighter might easily influence another

d)

to remind the audience why Wiesel has received the award

14.

Based on his words in “Acceptance Speech for the Nobel Peace Prize,”

which sentence best expresses what Elie Wiesel thinks about people who have

lived through a terrible oppression?

a)

He thinks that they owe other sufferers their attention.

b)

He thinks that they should be careful not to oppress others.

c)

He thinks that their anger and resentment are understandable.

d)

He thinks that they live under the burden of shattered dreams.

15.

Which answer choice presents a word family with a common base word?

a)

fear, anxiety, nervousness

b)

transfer, transition, transcontinental

c)

happiness, hopelessness, carelessness

d)

tense, tension, tensed

16.

The word indivisible means “unable to be separated into parts.” Based on this

information and your knowledge of word families, choose the word that is

most likely to be part of a word family with indivisible.

a)

difficult

b)

division

c)

diving

d)

divert

17.

What is the future perfect verb in the following sentence?

By 2020, he will have served as governor for two terms.

a)

will

b)

served

c)

have served

d)

will have served

18.

Which of the following sentences contains a present perfect verb?

a)

This voting location will open at 7:00 A.M.

b)

Mrs. Alvarez is serving as an election inspector.

c)

She has assisted voters in District 2 for many years.

d)

This year, my cousin Deshawn will be voting for the first time.

19.

What is the past perfect form of the verb to elect?

a)

elected

b)

had elected

c)

have elected

d)

will have elected

20.

How is the present tense different from the present perfect tense?

a)

The present perfect tense refers to action that started in the past and

continues into the present.

b)

The present perfect tense refers to action that started and ended in the

recent past.

c)

The present perfect tense refers to action that may or may not happen.

d)

The present tense refers to repeated action that is going on right now.