Comprehension Flashcards
Who are the primary characters in the book?
Mahmoud, Josef, Isabel
What is the main conflict in the book Refugee?
The main conflict in the book Refugee is between the three children and the repressive regimes from which they’re trying to escape.
What are the climaxes of Refugee? (3)
The first is when the Nazis catch the Landau family and Josef and Rachel are taken to the concentration camp while Ruthie is allowed to go free. The second is when Isabel and others disembark at Miami. The third is when Mahmoud leads the Syrian refugees to Austria.
What is the resolution for Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud in Refugee?
The resolution for Josef, unfortunately, is death after his family fails to make it to Cuba and ends up in France. For Isabel, the resolution is arriving in Miami and receiving a new trumpet. For Mahmoud, resolution involves arriving in Germany, receiving asylum, and becoming part of a host family who are kind and promise to help their guests.
In what year does the telling of Josef’s narrative begin?
1938
or what reason has Josef’s family recently moved to a smaller apartment in Berlin upon the opening of the novel?
Due to recently-enacted Nazi laws
he Nazis who storm Josef’s family’s home are never depicted directly by the author. Instead, what word is used to refer to them throughout the scene?
Shadows
What is Josef’s father’s profession at the start of the novel?
Lawyer
For what transgression do the Nazis say they are taking Josef’s father into “protective custody”
For practicing law as a Jewish man
In the book, Refugee, whose journey had no point?
Josef’s journey
In the book, Refugee, who is the author?
Alan Gratz
What religion does Josef follow?
Judaism
The novel Refugee is told from which point of view?
3rd person
When the Nazi stormtroopers break into Josef’s house, the author foreshadows the development of Josef’s character. Josef says, “I’ll be a man soon enough…I’ll be a man in six months and eleven days.” What can you infer about Josef’s character from this quote?
Becoming a man and acting in a mature manner is important to Josef
At the beginning of chapter 7, the Hitler Youth who catches Josef in the wrong train car
takes Josef by the arm back to the Jewish train car. The Hitler Youth then does all of the
following EXCEPT
Gets the attention of a Gestapo agent in a train compartment
The text says that the Hitler Youth on the train who let Josef go, “breathed hard, his face
red like he was the one in trouble.” Based on this passage, and the other actions we
read about the Hitler Youth in Chapter 7, the reader can infer:
Like Kalus, Josef’s best friend, the Hitler Youth probably joined the organization because he would be shamed if he didn’t join it
Which piece of text evidence best shows how the rations in Cuba affected Isabel?
Her lunch hadn’t been much bigger than the cat’s - just a few beans and a small
pile of white rice.
In the text, it says, “Ivan plopped to the dusty ground beside Isabel. ‘Look! I’ve found a bit of
dead fish on the beach for the cat.’ Isabel recoiled at the smell, but the kitten came running
back, eating greedily from Ivan’s hand” What does the word recoiled mean?
pulled back quickly in disgust
Why does Isabel give the fisherman her kitten?
She is afraid someone will eat the kitten if she doesn’t get a new owner because
there is so little food in Cuba
Which passage from the text best shows why Mahmoud learned the value of being
invisible?
From that day forward, Mahmoud and Khalid were marked. The two older boys
became Mahmoud’s and Khalid’s own personal bullies, delivering repeated
beatdowns between classes and after school.
In the text it says, “Above him, what was left of the ceiling light threw sparks…He
thrashed in the rubble, panicking…He flailed wildly at the debris, digging and scratching at
the wreckage like he could somehow claw his way back to a place where there was air.”
What does the word debris mean?
. remains of anything broken or destroyed
What was the name of the ship that Josef traveled on to move to Cuba?
MS St. Louis
