Characters
Who is the main character of the story?
Gerta
Gerta describes every aspect of life in East Berlin as "grey". What does she mean by this?
lifeless, uninteresting, without freedom or expression.
"The routine was starting to wear on me"
What does this mean?
Frustrated by repeating the same things every day.
What does pantomiming mean?
a) conveying something without speech
b) pretending to be in an invisible box
c) doing an exhausting physical activity
a) Conveying something without speech
Define Communism in your own words.
Something related to political theory and even distribution of property and money.
Who is Gerta's older brother?
Fritz
Why did East Berlin build the wall?
To keep the unhappy people from leaving for the freedoms of West Berlin.
"she was practically quoting the states propaganda, no better than a puppet on a string"
What does the author mean by a puppet on a string?
What does terse mean?
a) abrupt
b) tight
c) angry
a) abrupt
Why were so many people willing to risk their lives to escape East Berlin, even though the chances were so slim?
Who are the Stasi?
Secret Police
Why is Gerta's family being investigated by the Stasi?
Because he father was a political revolutionary.
What is the deeper meaning of "it was a Beatles night".
They needed to feel free.
What does emerged mean?
a) digging underground
b) come into view
c) under water.
b) to come into view
Describe Anna's personality.
cautious and reserved.
Who is Gerta's best friend?
Anna
When the author says East Berlin is "under the thumb of Moscow", what do they mean?
East Berlin is under communist influence.
They stood like iron statues.
Unmoving and intimidating.
What does inconspicuous mean?
I didn't want to get in trouble for being in the hall without as a pass, so I was trying to act inconspicuous.
not attracting attention
How do Aldous and Herr Krause know each other?
They were involved in worker uprisings together.
Who is Gerta's father?
Aldous
How does the mother's trauma from living through WW2 affect the families situation?
She fears food shortage and starvation and is unwilling to go to refugee camps.
My heart slammed into my throat.
Extreme nervousness or excitement.
What is propaganda?
Communist propaganda told people that everything in the West was bad
Intentionally misleading news.
What does Gerta mean when she says "I refuse to accept my life inside a prison"?
She fears a dull grey life more than she fears the consequences of action.