Zlata's Diary

Question 1

Which statement is ALWAYS true about a piece of nonfiction writing that has chronological organization?

A. It explains how and why things happen.
B. It gives reasons for accepting a certain point of view.
C. It presents events in the order that they happen.
D. It shows how things are alike and different.

Answer 1

C. It presents events in the order that they happen.

Question 2

Which is the best definition of the author’s style?

A. the way the author puts ideas into words
B. the way the author is influenced by personal experiences C. the overall feeling of a piece of writing
D. the reason an author creates a certain piece of writing

Answer 2

A. the way the author puts ideas into words

Question 3

Which of the following nonfiction articles would be most likely to have cause- and-effect organization?

A. “Helicopters and Airplanes”
B. “How to Make a Book Bag”
C. “Why Hurricanes Happen”
D. “The History of India”

Answer 3

C. “Why Hurricanes Happen”

Question 4

Which term means “the reason that an author writes a piece of nonfiction”?

A. author’s solution
B. author’s purpose
C. author’s mood
D. author’s essay

Answer 4

B. author’s purpose

Question 5

Which statement is true of every biography?

A. It is the life story of a brave person.
B. It is the life story of a real person.
C. It is a writer’s account of his own life.
D. It contains personal reflections.

Answer 5

B. It is the life story of a real person.

Question 6

Which statement is true about the entries in Zlata’s diary?

A. They appear in time order.
B. Each one compares and contrasts.
C. They do not contain personal thoughts.
D. Each one is a media account.

Answer 6

A. They appear in time order.

Question 7

What form does each entry take?

A. Each is a letter to Nina.
B. Each is a letter to Zlata’s friend in Pennsylvania.
C. Each is a letter to Mimmy.
D. Each is a letter to Zlata’s parents.

Answer 7

C. Each is a letter to Mimmy.

Question 8

What event does Zlata describe in her diary entries?

A. a tornado
B. an earthquake
C. a war
D. a flood

Answer 8

C. a war

Question 9

What is the setting of most of the entries in Zlata’s diary?

A. Sarajevo
B. Harrisburg C. Paris
D. Holland

Answer 9

A. Sarajevo

Question 10

At one point, Zlata and her parents hide in their cellar. Why?

A. They don’t want to go to Holland.
B. They want to move their beds.
C. Thieves rob their apartment.
D. They need to escape the gunfire.

Answer 10

D. They need to escape the gunfire.

Question 11

Zlata misses many things. What one thing does she miss the most?

A. birthday cake
B. peace
C. school
D. her canary

Answer 11

B. peace

Question 12

What do Zlata and her parents do to make their apartment safer?

A. They stop using electricity.
B. They move their stove to the cellar.
C. They get rid of the mice in the cellar.
D. They move their beds away from the windows.

Answer 12

D. They move their beds away from the windows.

Question 13

What happens to Zlata’s friend Nina?

A. She is captured.
B. She drops out of school.
C. She moves to a safer city.
D. She is killed.

Answer 13

D. She is killed.

Question 14

What does Zlata feel the war has taken away from her?

A. her childhood
B. her birthday
C. her grandparents
D. her school

Answer 14

A. her childhood

Question 15

Which statement is the most accurate description of Zlata’s attitude toward war?

A. It’s dangerous but understandable.
B. It’s horrible, disgusting, and unfair.
C. It’s unnecessary and too expensive.
D. It’s just another part of life.

Answer 15

B. It’s horrible, disgusting, and unfair.

Question 16

In what specific ways is Zlata’s childhood similar to and different from most “normal” childhoods?

Answer 16

Unlike most “normal” childhoods, Zlata’s is marked by the horrors of war. Friends have been injured and killed, buildings have been destroyed, there is no electricity or running water, etc. She does still have friends, parents who take care of her, a pet, and a birthday party.

Question 17

If you were Zlata, which one hardship or experience described in the diary would stick out in your memory as the worst thing that happened during the war? Explain.

Answer 17

The death of her friend Nina or the “worst” day (May 2), when her family hid in the cellar and her neighborhood was almost totally destroyed.

Question 18

Factors from an author’s heritage, culture, and personal beliefs that affect a piece of nonfiction are called an author’s

A. influences.
B. traditions.
C. purpose. D. topic.

Answer 18

A. influences.

Question 19

Which is the best definition of the mood of a piece of nonfiction writing?

A. the reason the author wrote it
B. the background experiences of the author
C. the overall feeling of the piece of writing
D. the way the author puts ideas into words

Answer 19

C. the overall feeling of the piece of writing

Question 20

Which of the following nonfiction articles would be least likely to have chronological organization?

A. “The Life of Benjamin Franklin”
B. “Trees of Central America”
C. “A Typical Day at Work”
D. “How to Make Bread in 10 Easy Steps”

Answer 20

B. “Trees of Central America”

Question 21

What is the most probable reason an author would have for writing an article entitled “Don’t Skateboard on Public Walkways!”?

A. to entertain
B. to inform
C. to explain how to do something
D. to persuade

Answer 21

D. to persuade

Question 22

Which of the following nonfiction pieces would an author write in order to inform?

A. “How Whales Communicate”
B. “Silly Willy the Whale”
C. “Please Help Save the Whales!”
D. “Calling All Whales!”

Answer 22

A. “How Whales Communicate”

Question 23

Where would you be least likely to find a media account?

A. in a magazine
B. on the radio
C. in a newspaper
D. in a textbook

Answer 23

D. in a textbook

Question 24

Which statement is true about each entry in Zlata’s diary?

A. Each one has a sad mood.
B. Each one contains personal thoughts.
C. Each one mentions Paris.
D. Each one mentions bombing.

Answer 24

B. Each one contains personal thoughts.

Question 25

What pattern of organization does the diary follow?

A. spatial organization
B. cause-and-effect organization
C. compare-and-contrast organization
D. chronological organization

Answer 25

D. chronological organization

Question 26

In one of the early diary entries, Zlata writes that many neighborhoods have been destroyed by

A. a terrible storm.
B. an earthquake.
C. bombs and gunfire.
D. hostages.

Answer 26

C. bombs and gunfire.

Question 27

What does Zlata describe as “the worst thing in the world”?

A. hunger
B. pollution
C. unfair laws
D. war

Answer 27

D. war

Question 28

On May 2, which Zlata describes as “the worst day ever,” she and her parents

A. are forced to leave Sarajevo.
B. are forced to separate.
C. run to the cellar to escape the gunfire.
D. join a peace march.

Answer 28

C. run to the cellar to escape the gunfire.

Question 29

After a terrible day, Zlata describes her parents as “edgy.” What does this word mean?

A. sad but determined
B. proud and patriotic
C. hard-working but tired
D. nervous and frightened

Answer 29

D. nervous and frightened

Question 30

Zlata and her parents begin to sleep on mattresses in a corner of their sitting room because

A. they want to listen to the radio.
B. they want to be closer to Cicko, their pet bird.
C. their bedrooms are not safe because of the shooting.
D. their bedrooms were destroyed by the bombing.

Answer 30

C. their bedrooms are not safe because of the shooting.

Question 31

Zlata is sad about her friend Nina because

A. Nina moved away.
B. Nina was killed.
C. Nina was taken prisoner.
D. Nina doesn’t want to join the peace march.

Answer 31

B. Nina was killed.

Question 32

Zlata describes herself as “a child without a childhood” because

A. she is sad that her father is unable to join them in Paris.
B. her mother has given her so many responsibilities that Zlata feels like an adult.
C. bombs fell on the apartment and destroyed all her baby pictures and scrapbooks.
D. she can’t have normal childhood fun and treats because of the hardships of war.

Answer 32

D. she can’t have normal childhood fun and treats because of the hardships of war.

Question 33

Zlata says that her birthday party was nice, but something was missing. What important thing was missing?

A. her father
B. her bird Cicko
C. peace
D. cake

Answer 33

C. peace

Question 34

Journalists and reporters from all over the world visit Zlata because

A. they are interested in the diary that she has kept.
B. they want to help her escape Sarajevo.
C. they need a safe place to stay while they work.
D. they want to help her celebrate her birthday.

Answer 34

A. they are interested in the diary that she has kept.

Question 35

Inherlastentry,whydoesZlatawritethatshefeelsshe“mustbecrazy,dreaming, as though it’s a fairy tale”?

A. She is in Paris and has left the war behind her.
B. She finds out that none of her friends were injured in the war.
C. She is on an airplane, headed for a new life in the United States.
D. She is in Holland, eating chicken, chocolate, and other favorite foods.

Answer 35

A. She is in Paris and has left the war behind her.

Question 36

Which statement BEST describes the mood of Zlata’s diary?

A. It is a mixture of sadness and horror.
B. It changes from happy to sad.
C. It changes from sad to happy.
D. It changes from proud to angry.

Answer 36

C. It changes from sad to happy

Question 37

Write a summary of the personal experiences that Zlata records in her diary.

Answer 37

Include the initial bombings and shellings, the flight to the cellar, the rearrangement of their sleeping arrangements, the birthday party, the pen-pal letter, the journalists’ interest in her diary, and the escape to Paris.