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1. At the beginning of the story, what is Heinz waiting for?

|a. |reassurance that his son will survive |

|b. |the chance to talk with his wife |

|c. |a kind word from Sousa |

|d. |the birth of his child |

ANS: D

2. Sousa seems upset with Heinz because Sousa

|a. |has been awake all night |

|b. |assumes Heinz will have a boy |

|c. |cannot pronounce Heinz's name |

|d. |finds Heinz's appearance odd |

ANS: B

3. Why is Heinz anticipating this child's birth so greatly?

|a. |His first child died soon after birth. |

|b. |His wife is unable to have any more children. |

|c. |He promised to name a child after his father. |

|d. |He hopes to gain attention as a father. |

ANS: C

4. Throughout the story, others mispronounce Heinz's

|a. |first name |

|b. |last name |

|c. |wife's name |

|d. |child's name |

ANS: B

5. Heinz wants to hurry after the doctor to be sure that the doctor

|a. |understands Heinz's gratitude |

|b. |realizes the baby's importance |

|c. |learns the child's name |

|d. |explains Avchen's problems |

ANS: A

6. How does Dr. Powers's response to Heinz in the excerpt below help characterize Heinz? "'Uh huh. 'S O.K.,' he said thickly. 'Night. Luck.' He shambled out into the corridor."

|a. |He is an unimportant person. |

|b. |He asks too many questions. |

|c. |He needs a lot of reassurance. |

|d. |He is inferior to the doctor. |

ANS: A

7. The doctor warns Heinz about future children because Avchen

|a. |is still undernourished |

|b. |has had a Caesarean |

|c. |has had a difficult delivery |

|d. |can only handle one child at a time |

ANS: C

8. When Heinz says that everything is saved in the baby, you can tell that the historical context of the story is influenced by

|a. |great loss during the Holocaust |

|b. |hoarding during the war |

|c. |low birth rates in the 1940s |

|d. |religious upbringing of Europeans |

ANS: A STA: AZ 03.11.2.2.PO1

9. Why does Heinz feel foolish after meeting Harry?

|a. |Harry is rude to Heinz in front of his girlfriend. |

|b. |Harry's girlfriend openly makes fun of Heinz. |

|c. |Harry acts as if he does not want to talk to Heinz. |

|d. |Harry's indifferent response embarrasses Heinz. |

ANS: D

10. The author characterizes Heinz as someone who is not taken seriously when

|a. |the bartender shortens Heinz's son's name |

|b. |Sousa is bitter about Heinz having a son |

|c. |Heinz shows little interest in baseball |

|d. |Heinz takes the train home alone |

ANS: A

14. Sousa shows his contempt of Heinz by

|a. |snapping his fingers |

|b. |belittling Heinz's stature |

|c. |stomping out of the room |

|d. |bragging about his own strength |

ANS: B STA: AZ 03.11.2.1.PO1.c

15. What happened to Heinz at the age of 10?

|a. |He lost the last of his family members. |

|b. |His relative Karl Knecthmann died. |

|c. |He entered a displaced persons camp in Germany. |

|d. |The Holocaust affected him for the first time. |

ANS: A

16. What do the references to Heinz's dead relatives tell you about the historical context of the story?

|a. |All war survivors focused on their European heritage. |

|b. |Religious upbringing became vitally important after the Holocaust. |

|c. |Accomplished families lost the most in World War II. |

|d. |The Holocaust left many survivors with a desire never to forget their past. |

ANS: D STA: AZ 03.11.2.2.PO1

17. Heinz's repetition of and announcement of his last name after his child is born contrasts strongly with

|a. |others' repeated failure to say his last name |

|b. |his regard for relatives who carried his name |

|c. |others' repeated mispronunciation of his name |

|d. |his behavior when he sees his child in the nursery |

ANS: C

18. One detail that tells you that the Holocaust is the historical event that inspired the creation of this story is when Heinz

|a. |pronounces his name correctly |

|b. |says that everything is saved in the baby |

|c. |names the baby Peter Karl |

|d. |tells Avchen that the baby is perfect |

ANS: B STA: AZ 03.11.2.2.PO1

19. Heinz's walking away without using the pay phone shows that he

|a. |has no money to make a call |

|b. |has no family but Avchen |

|c. |is in a state of shock and disbelief |

|d. |is uncertain about his child's fate |

ANS: B

20. The reason that Vonnegut most likely includes the scene at the bar is to

|a. |illustrate Heinz's joy |

|b. |reveal Heinz's anxieties |

|c. |emphasize Heinz's Jewish identity |

|d. |underscore Heinz's isolation |

ANS: D STA: AZ 03.11.2.1.PO1.c

21. Which of the following best describes the attitude of the bartender and Sousa toward their children?

|a. |Both think each new child is a miracle. |

|b. |They take their older children for granted. |

|c. |Each regards the other's children with envy. |

|d. |They do not want any more children. |

ANS: B

22. What is one way that the author characterizes the differences between Heinz and the other men in the bar?

|a. |Sousa and the bartender walk away from Heinz when he professes disinterest in baseball. |

|b. |Heinz is the only man to toast the births of the children. |

|c. |Heinz has one child while Sousa has seven and the bartender eight. |

|d. |Heinz stands when the bartender proposes a toast to the White Sox. |

ANS: A

23. By the end of the story, other people's reactions to Heinz's news have changed his character to the point that he begins to

|a. |feel as if the baby's birth does not matter |

|b. |question his reasons for leaving Germany |

|c. |wonder how many more children he can have |

|d. |lose affection and gratitude for his wife |

ANS: A

24. What does Heinz mean when he calls his son a "treasure house" (line 97)?

ANS:

When Heinz calls his son a "treasure house," he is commenting on the

belief that all of Heinz's dead ancestors are stored in the baby.

STA: AZ 03.11.1.4.PO2 | AZ 03.11.2.1.PO2

25. Use one of Avchen's comments to explain how she regards the birth of the child.

ANS:

Responses will vary. Students may use one of the following comments to explain how Avchen feels about the birth of her child:

A. Avchen says that the baby is proof that she and Heinz could not be killed (line 236). Considering her and Heinz's lives in the camps in Germany, her comment shows that she believes that the baby is a continuation of her and her husband that will live on after they are gone.

B. Avchen says that the baby is the most wonderful thing that ever happened (lines 241-242). She regards the child's birth with the same excitement Heinz displayed when he first learned the news.

26. What is one reason that the birth of Heinz and Avchen's child is a miracle for them?

ANS:

Responses will vary. Students may give one of the following reasons that Heinz and Avchen consider the child's birth a miracle:

A. Heinz and Avchen have survived the Holocaust, but their other family members are dead (lines 20-23).

B. Heinz and Avchen lost their first child (lines 28-30).

C. Avchen has health problems as a result of the war (lines 66-67).

27. How is Sousa's attitude toward the birth of his child different than Heinz's attitude? Use three details from the story to support your response.

ANS:

Responses will vary. Students should say that for Heinz, the birth of his child is an extraordinary event. They may support their response with the following details:

A. When Heinz hears he has a son, he feels triumphant and not only speaks but announces his child's last name (lines 45-50).

B. He expresses his gratitude and joy to the doctor and calls the birth the most wonderful thing that ever happened (lines 71-78).

C. He is so excited when he views his child at the nursery that he talks too loudly (lines 93-100).

D. He is so happy he buys drinks and makes a toast at the bar (lines 120-150).

E. He is so excited that he tells a coworker he meets on the street, even though the coworker is indifferent (lines 174-196).

Students should say that for Sousa, the birth is a moment of disappointment or irritation. They may support their response with the following details:

A. Sousa complains that all he gets is girls (lines 4-7).

B. Sousa is bitter and resentful that Heinz had a boy (lines 130-132).

C. Sousa is matter-of-fact about the birth and makes fun of his baby's hair, and he does not even have a name for her yet (lines 109-111).

D. Sousa does not think of a birth as a miracle (lines 136-137).

28. How does the description of the nursery represent Heinz's attitude about his news after he goes home to his apartment?

ANS:

The nursery contains hundreds of babies in "canvas buckets" placed in rows (lines 84-86). Heinz later complains that there are too many people to care about one more new baby in the world (lines 205-208). His attitude about the anonymity is reflected in the nameless babies placed in rows and blocks, no one more important than the next.

STA: AZ 03.11.2.1.PO2

29. Which methods of characterization does Vonnegut use to present Heinz as an anonymous man? Support your opinion with details from the story.

ANS:

Responses will vary. Students may say that Vonnegut uses Heinz's appearance, other characters' actions, details related to names, and details related to Heinz's occupation to show Heinz's anonymity. Students may use

the following details to support their responses:

A. Vonnegut titles the story Adam, a name that many would view as representative of all humankind and therefore not specific to one individual (Heinz's first child).

B. Everyone mispronounces Heinz's name, which is a sign that they do not attribute his identity to him (lines 8-12, 40, 51, 66, 129, 136, 147, and 225).

C. Vonnegut gives Heinz an ordinary job as a presser in a dry-cleaning plant (lines 15-16). This job is nothing special and contributes to his anonymity.

D. Vonnegut gives Heinz the appearance of a man who could be overlooked: he is slightly hunched, small, and not good looking. Also, even though he is young, he looks older (lines 16-20).

E. Vonnegut presents Heinz as a quiet man whom others are always shutting up, confusing with someone else, not listening to, or not noticing (lines 58-79, 87-92, 99-106, 167-169, and 174-196).

F. Heinz's anonymity is illustrated when strangers jostle him as he walks to the hospital at the end of the story (lines 211-213).

G. Vonnegut calls Heinz a gray uninteresting man and shows him blending in with the city (lines 216-217).

STA: AZ 03.11.2.1.PO1.c

30. How do the different reactions of Sousa and Heinz toward the birth of their children reveal characteristics about each man's background and values? Use details from the story to support your response.

ANS:

Responses will vary. Students may say that Heinz's response to his son's

birth illustrates his respect for life, his value for family, and his tragic background. Students may use the following details to support their responses:

A. When Heinz hears he has a son, he feels triumphant and excitedly pronounces his child's last name (lines 45-50), illustrating a respect for his family and his family's name.

B. Heinz's calm when told that his wife will have a difficult time having more children (lines 66-67 and 69-70) and his matter-of-fact explanation that her difficulty lies in the malnutrition she suffered during the war (line 68) illustrate Heinz's acceptance of his tragic past and his excitement at his child's life in spite of his past troubles. He does not take the baby's birth or his wife's difficulties for granted.

C. Heinz expresses his gratitude and joy to the doctor and calls the birth the most wonderful thing that ever happened (lines 71-78), suggesting his great respect for life.

D. When Heinz views his child at the nursery, he finds part of his ancestors in the child and calls his son a "treasure house" (lines 93-98), which shows Heinz's respect for his family and remembrance of his tragic past.

E. Even after Heinz realizes that he has no one to call and share his good news with (lines 117-119) because of his lack of family, he still walks excitedly to a nearby bar to celebrate (lines 120-121), which shows that he is happy in spite of being without his family. He acknowledges what he has in spite of his lack of Knechtmann relatives.

F. At the bar, Heinz shrugs off Sousa's jealousy by acknowledging the miracle of a new life regardless of its gender (lines 131-135).

G. Heinz toasts Sousa's daughter at the bar (line 149), showing his regard for all new life.

H. After Harry treats Heinz with indifference, causing Heinz embarrassment (lines 189-195), Heinz returns home and speaks to the empty bassinet in German (lines 197-199), suggesting how he values his family's cultural past and how he shows recognition of his dead family members.

Students should say that Sousa's response to his daughter's birth shows that he is perhaps so distracted with the status that having a son will give him that he has little respect or awe for new life. His response also illustrates his background as an American man who has not experienced the kind of profound tragedy that Heinz has experienced, resulting in a lack of concern for much beyond his immediate problems. Students may use the following details to support their responses:

A. Instead of being excited about his new daughter, Sousa complains that all he gets is girls (lines 4-7). His attitude shows that he is barely interested in the miracle of this new life and only cares about himself.

B. Instead of trying to reassure Heinz that Avchen will be all right when the nurse tells Heinz that the baby still has not come (lines 8-11), Sousa gruffly accuses Heinz of getting everything he wants (in this case, many sons) and then stomps away (lines 12-14). Sousa's response illustrates his distraction with wanting a son and his jealousy of a man who, in reality, has very little because of the war.

C. Sousa does not congratulate Heinz when he hears about the boy's birth but instead grouses more about Heinz's luck as a "little guy" (lines 129-132). Sousa shows little respect for Heinz's excitement or the new baby's life because of his envy.

D. Sousa expresses resentment of Heinz's belief in the miracle of life (lines 136-137).

E. Sousa's sullen response to the bartender's comment that he has eight children to Sousa's seven (line 140) illustrate a lack of respect for his own or the bartender's children as people.

F. Sousa is quickly distracted into a conversation about baseball, a topic that seems to interest him much more than his own children (lines 156-166). Sousa only seems to have attention for his own interests and none for his wife, new baby, or Heinz's new baby.

STA: AZ 03.11.2.1.PO1.c

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