The Devil's Arithmetic

1. The Devil's Arithmetic Chapters 4-6 Study Guide

2. 1. What does the saying A goy zugt a vertl mean? • The saying means “As the peasant says….”

3. 2. For whom was Hannah named? • Hannah was in named in honor of Aunt Eva’s deceased friend.

4. 3. What does Shmuel say makes him a "prize" in marriage? • “ I have all my teeth and all my hair, two fine workhorses, a four-room house, and twenty acres of land beside. I work hard and I do not smell all that bad.” (page 25)

5. 4. Identify the onomatopoeia on page 32. • A-doo, A-doo- the echoing sound of the rooster.

6. 5. What does Shmuel say a girl's dream should be about. • Schmuel says a girl’s dreams, like her life, should be sweet and filled with honey.

7. 6. Locate the simile on page 33. • “Do you think it strange, little Chaya, that I – ShmuelAbramowicz- with an arm like a tree and, as Gitl says, a head like a stone.”

8. 7. On page 33, what does Shmuel admit to Hannah about marriage? • Shmuel admits that he is afraid of GETTING married, but not afraid of BEING married.

9. 8. What is wrong with the milk Hannah was to drink during breakfast? • The milk was actually unpasteurized cream with “things” floating in it.

10. 9. What tradition is Shmuel following before the wedding? • Shmuel is following the old tradition of the groom fasting before his wedding.

11. 10. Identify the onomatopoeia on page 37. • Thwack- the sound of the coffeepot being placed on the table.

12. 11. What was Yitzchak's wedding gift for Shmuel and Fayge? • Yitzchak gave Shmuel and Fayge two cages of chickens for their wedding.

13. 12. What are the names of Yitzchak's children? • “Two little blond-haired children, no more than three or four years old.” (page 39) • Reuven-little boy • Tzipporah-little girl

14. 13. Describe the bathroom Hannah must use. • The bathroom was a privy, an outhouse, which did not have any lights.

15. 14. Describe the dress Gitl picked out for Hannah to wear at the wedding. What word does Hannah use to describe the dress? • The dress was a dark blue sailor-suit dress with white piping at the sleeves and neck, and a blue sash belt. Hannah called it a shmatte meaning rag.

16. 15. What did Gitl put in Hannah's hair? What was she originally going to use them for? • Gitl put two blue velvet ribbons in Hannah’s plaits. Gitl was originally going to use the ribbons on her wedding night.

17. 16. Identify the simile on page 44. • “Hannah felt a lot like the chickens, nervous about all the loud, strange men and laughing, chattering women.” (page 44)

18. 17. What did the girls say their fathers called Gitl? • The girls said their fathers named Gitl, “Gitl the Bear”.

19. 18. Give a brief description of the following girls: • Shifre- “..had a pale freckled face and eyelashes so light they could not be seen. It made her eyes look shifty.” (pg47) • Esther- “ And Esther was plump with rosy cheeks and a mouth that seemed to rest in a pout. She was round like an Easter egg.” (pg 47) • Yente- “ ….had a ferrety face, sharp in chin and nose, and a yellowish complexion.” (pg47) • Rachel- declared herself as Hannah’s best friend. She had shallow breathing.

20. 19. What did the girls say about Hannah's best friend Rosemary? • The girls were shocked that Hannah was friends with someone who had such a goyish name. When Hannah revealed that Rosemary WAS Catholic, the girls were shocked that a Jew and a Catholic were friends.

21. 20. Give a prediction about what is going to happen in this novel.