ANSWER KEY
The Diary of
Anne Frank, Act II
Frances
Goodrich and Albert Hackett
|
Answers
|
Standards
|
|
1. (a) Mr. Van Daan suggests that he thinks they should
sell the coat because people in the outside world need clothing.
(b) He wants money for cigarettes. He tries to conceal
his actual reason because he is afraid that the others will judge him harshly
for his selfishness and his unkind treatment of his wife.
(c) Students should note that after asking Miep to sell
the coat,
Mr. Van Daan says, “And by the way, will you get me cigarettes.
I don’t care what kind they are . . . get all you can.” Students may point
out that he complains in Act I that Miep only brought him one package,
suggesting cigarettes are scarce, and that his wife complains that he is
“smoking up all our money,” suggesting they would cost a lot of money to
obtain.
|
RL.8.1
|
|
(a) Students should state a theme plausibly suggested by
Anne’s words, such as “People are basically good” or “A person needs faith in
others or hope, even when living in horrible circumstances.”
(b) Students should identify a logical connection
between the theme they have identified and the setting. They should note that
the play is set in World War II in Holland, when Jews were subject to Nazi
persecution. In these circumstances, when the mistreatment and even murder of
Jews was widespread, the question of whether people are basically good or
should be trusted was especially and painfully relevant.
(c) Students should identify ways in which events of the
play help to develop this theme. For example, they may point to these events
as raising the question of whether people are basically good: the blackmail
by Carl, Mr. Van Daan’s theft of food, or Anne’s ultimate fate. They may
point to the following events as suggesting the good that is in people or the
value of trust or forgiveness: Miep and Mr. Kraler’s aid to those hiding in
the annex, Anne’s gesture in making Hanukkah gifts, or Mr. Frank’s charitable
response to Mr. Van Daan’s theft.
(d) Students should identify a plausible way in which
the theme relates to Anne’s character. They may note that Anne’s persistent
hope and her efforts to improve herself even in difficult circumstances
illustrate her own basic goodness. They may conclude that Anne’s trust and
openness justify Mr. Frank’s feeling, “She puts me to shame.”
|
RL.8.2
|
|
(a) The theft
shows that Mr. Van Daan is a very selfish person. He does not seem to care
that he is taking food from others, including his own son.
(b) Mrs. Frank is simply furious, is sharply critical of
Mr. Van Daan, and makes the decision to ask the Van Daans to leave. Her
strong reaction is unlike her. In other scenes, she keeps complaints and
criticisms to herself; she tries to calm others down when they are arguing.
In Act II, Scene 2, Margot says to Anne that their mother “can’t talk back.
She’s not like you. It’s just not in her nature to fight back.” Mrs. Frank’s
reaction to the theft shows, though, that she has a deep sense of right and
wrong and that she has the strength and the conviction to oppose someone who
has committed a grave offense. Students may point out that by the end of the
scene she appears to relent, allowing the Van Daans to stay. This second
decision is consistent with her concern for others.
|
RL.8.3
|
|
Even though Anne seems a little uncertain, her point
of view on the future is still hopeful—she believes she may return to claim
her diary. Audience members and readers, however, know that she will never
return but will die in the concentration camp to which she will be taken. The
difference between Anne’s point of view on future events and the point of
view of readers or audience members probably increases readers’ and audience
members’ sadness about her fate.
|
RL.8.6
|
ANSWER
KEY
CHARACTERS’
MOTIVATIONS
The Diary of
Anne Frank, Act II
Frances
Goodrich and Albert Hackett
Possible
responses:
1. Mr. Kraler wants to keep
the Franks informed on the possibilities of getting found out. Yet it could
also be inferred, since Mr. Kraler tells them that the man demanded 20 guilders
a week, which is not a lot of money, that Mr. Kraler is beginning to feel the
strain of housing the Franks and feeling he needs some compensation for it. The
text doesn’t seem to come down on either side; it seems just as likely that
Kraler is genuinely concerned for their welfare as he may be hoping to squeeze
a little compensation from the Franks, despite the horrible situation everyone
is in.
2. Anne does not so much
avoid thoughts of the war as she does use her thoughts for other purposes, to
“think herself out” of things. To get through the struggle, she needs to feel
that the world is going through some kind of phase and that people are “really
good at heart.”
3. We can infer that Peter
has strong feelings for Anne, a reversal from the beginning of the play when he
appeared to dislike her. Their time together, and Anne’s constant attentions,
gave Peter hope and sense of a loving relationship for a kid with few or no
friends going through a dark time.
4. The social climate of the
time is very respectful of fathers, working people, and of the parent-child
relationship. Kids are not treated as they are today, nor are women treated as
equals. The pressure of the situation drives the group toward a closer, more
equalizing, yet at the same time more tense and fraught, group dynamic.
ANSWER KEY
The Diary of Anne Frank, Act II
Frances
Goodrich and Albert Hackett
Possible
responses:
A. 1. Yes; because foreboding is a “fearful apprehension
that something bad
will happen.”
2. No; because apprehension is “anxiety or fear that
something might happen.”
3. False; an intuition is a gut feeling, something
you sense.
4. False; the tension was
“growing stronger” or mounting.
5. No; to be rigid is to be stiff.
6. No; if she was insistent, she would be demanding.
B. 1. D. feeling or showing deep
respect
2. C. hidden; concealed
3. B. recovering from an
illness
4. A. achieving maximum
productivity
5. E. well meaning and kindly
ANSWER KEY
SIMPLE
TENSES OF VERBS
The Diary of
Anne Frank, Act II
Frances
Goodrich and Albert Hackett
A. 1. Anne writes in her diary.; present
2. Mrs.
Frank will cut the cake.; future
3. Dussel
talked to Mr. Kraler.; past
4. They
rationed the food.; past
5. Anne
will visit Peter’s room.; future
B. 1. Peter comforted Anne.
2. The
families will divide up the food.
3. Mr.
Frank talks to Miep.
4. Mr.
Frank remembered the time his family spent in hiding.
5. Mr.
Frank reads Anne’s diary.
