Quiz questions
The Tin Drum
Günter Grass
Reading comprehension quiz questions for The Tin Drum — use them as a reading-check starter, a self-study tool, or a quick assessment. Answers are included below each question.
**Quiz Question — *The Tin Drum* by Günter Grass** At the start of *The Tin Drum*, three-year-old Oskar Matzerath makes a conscious choice to stop his physical growth. What leads him to this decision? A) A mysterious illness strikes him, halting his development. B) On his third birthday, he throws himself down the cellar stairs, willing himself to cease growing. C) A local fortune-teller curses him in the streets of Danzig. D) He refuses to eat, gradually starving himself in protest against the adult world. **Correct Answer: B** — On his third birthday, Oskar intentionally throws himself down the cellar stairs, using the incident as an excuse to stop growing and stay the size of a three-year-old, turning his back on the corrupt adult world around him.
ap_lit · ib_lang_lit · a_level · aqa
**Quiz Question — *The Tin Drum* by Günter Grass** In the opening of *The Tin Drum*, three-year-old Oskar Matzerath makes a conscious choice to stop his physical growth. What leads him to make this decision? A) He is cursed by a mysterious fortune-teller at a carnival B) He throws himself down the cellar stairs on his third birthday C) He is struck by a bolt of lightning during a thunderstorm D) He refuses to eat, starving himself in protest against the adult world **Correct Answer: B** *Explanation: On his third birthday, Oskar intentionally throws himself down the cellar stairs, using the fall as a way to justify — and assert his will — to cease growing, opting to stay the size of a three-year-old instead of facing the corrupt adult world surrounding him.*
ap_lit · ib_lang_lit · aqa · comparative_literature
These quiz questions are part of Storgy's free teacher toolkit for The Tin Drum. For a full study guide with chapter summaries, characters, themes, and key quotes, visit the The Tin Drum study guide. To browse quiz questions for other works, return to the Quiz Questions hub.