1. What were people arriving at the camp told to do with their personal belongings?
They were told to leave everything behind and give up their belongings.
2. What does Elie imply happens to his mother and sister?
He implies they are sent to the gas chambers and killed.
3. Why do you think the inmate told Elie and his father to lie about their ages?
To make them seem strong enough to work so they would not be killed.
4. Did the new arrivals know what was in store for them? What does this tell you about how the Nazis conducted the Holocaust?
No, they did not know. It shows the Nazis used deception to hide what was really happening.
5. As he points at the chimney, what does the inmate say will happen to the new arrivals?
He says they will be burned in the crematorium.
6. What questions does Dr. Mengele ask? Why would this determine their fates?
He asks their age and health. This decides if they live for work or are sent to death.
7. What is the significance of going to the right or left?
Right means survival and forced labor. Left means death.
8. What does Elie see being thrown into the flames?
He sees babies and children being thrown into the fire.
9. Why did Elie's father wish his son had gone with his mother? What did the new arrivals think was going to happen to them?
He thought Elie would have died quickly instead of suffering. The new arrivals thought they were just going to work, not be killed.
10. Where are Elie and his father led to?
They are led into the concentration camp to be processed and assigned prisoner numbers.
11. List three things Elie says he will never forget from that night.
He will never forget the flames, the smell of burning bodies, and the silence or shock of the prisoners.