Parallel Journeys – Discussion Questions



Name ______________ Date __________________

8th grade LA Period _________________

Parallel Journeys – Discussion Questions

Directions – Read and respond to each question. Write a page number next to each response.

Chapter 1

What did Hitler promise the German youth?

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What specific reason was given for the removal of Jewish children from German schools?

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Chapter 2

In which areas of the world were the Jews most hated? Why were they hated?

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Name three reasons why Helen’s and Siegfried’s marriage almost didn’t happen.

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Chapter 3

Why didn’t children need their parents’ permission to join the Hitler Youth?

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What justification did Hitler give for invading Czechoslovakia?

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Why did the Germans ignore Hitler’s hatred of the Jews?

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Chapter 4

What exactly does the term Kristallnacht mean? How did it get that name?

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If Germany didn’t want the Jews, why didn’t they just leave the country?

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Chapter 5

What was the parents’ greatest complaint against the Hitler Youth? How was this problem solved?

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What was Hitler’s reason for invading Poland? What was the real reason?

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Chapter 6

Why did Helen and Siegfried distance themselves from Doris?

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What was the primary purpose of the camp in the Polish town of Oswiecim?

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Chapter 7

What announcement did Hitler make that shocked his generals? Why was this announcement shocking?

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What did the Germans believe “The Final Solution” meant? What did it really mean? How was this “solution” carried out? Be specific and explain the process.

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Chapter 8

A fortune teller told Helen a man named Max would bring great changes to her and Siegfried’s lives. Who was Max?

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Three major events happened on December 7, 1941, one personal, one in the German empire, and one international. What were they?

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Chapter 9

What happened to German youths at age 14?

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Why were many little German boys willing to give everything, even their lives to join?

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Chapter 10

What was the Judenrat? What was the official reason for the Judenrat? What was its real purpose?

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What was the Gestapo? What was its primary purpose?

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Chapter 11

Why were many German children relocated from cities?

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What jobs did the older children assume in Germany?

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What happened during Rabbit’s test flight?

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Chapter 12

What were conditions like in the Warsaw Ghetto?

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Name two ways to resist the Germans.

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What was life like in hiding?

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What did Helen and Siegfried do with their money?

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Chapter 13

What promotion did Alfons receive? Why was he chosen?

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What reaction did some of the younger members have to the deaths of their comrades?

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Which two important people did Alfons meet in chapter 13? What do you think was the purpose of this meeting?

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Chapter 14

What happened to women with children when the train finally reached its destination?

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What was Helen’s dream? What upset her so?

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What do the words Journey to Heaven mean?

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Chapter 15

What caused Alfons to cry in chapter 15?

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Alfons’ wish was finally realized in chapter 15. What is his wish? What happens?

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Chapter 16

Why did the Germans destroy the crematoria?

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What was the purpose of the delousing? Who really benefited from the procedure?

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What were some of the survival habits prisoners developed and had trouble changing when they were liberated?

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Chapter 17

What were the consequences for deserters? Why were these orders not always followed?

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Why does Alfons claim he was a member of the Luftwaffe, not the Hitler Youth Group?

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Chapter 18

The war ended, so why was travel so difficult?

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Although the war was over, anti-Semitism had not ended. Name two examples of anti-Semitism in chapter 18.

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Chapter 19

Who were the “rubble women?” What did they do?

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Why were Alfons and the other Germans so reluctant to believe Hitler’s Final Solution?

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Chapter 20

Why was Jo Vis considered a true hero?

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Why did Helen insist on taking Doris with her? Do you think she made the right decision for herself and for Doris?

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Chapter 21

How was Alfons’ school experience different after the war? How had the school changed?

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Why was it important for Alfons to attend the trials at Nuremberg?

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Who was Baldur von Schirach? Why was he of special importance to Alfons?

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Chapter 22

What problems did Helen and Doris encounter when they settled in Chicago?

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How did Helen’s life change later in chapter 22?

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