The Diary of Anne Frank: Study Guide (Act II)

  1. How much time has passed between Act I and Act II and how long has everybody been hiding in the secret annex at the beginning of Act II?One year passed between the acts, and they’d been in hiding for 18 months.
  2. What favor does Mr. Van Daan need Miep to do for him and what does it say about him as a person?He asked Miep to sell his wife’s fur coat to buy him cigarettes. It shows he’s selfish.
  3. What bad news did they receive at the end of scene 1?Mr. Kraler is sick.
  4. What concern does Mr. Kraler share and what action do they decide to take? They may be being blackmailed, and they decide to offer the man half what he asks for.
  5. What is Margot jealous of?Margot is jealous that Anne has something to look forward to when she hangs out with Peter.
  6. What are some of the things Anne and Peter talk about?They talk about thir families, pasts, movie stars, religion and other things.
  7. Why does Anne not want Peter to see some of what she’s written about him in her diary?Anne didn’t like him much at the beginning of the year.
  8. How does Peter say Anne has changed?Anne is not as noisy as she used to be!
  9. What gets the blame for the missing food? What is really to blame?Rats get the blame for missing food, but it’s really Mr. Van Daan who is eating extra at night.
  10. How does Mrs. Frank react to Mr. Vann Daan’s theft? Explain the significance of her reaction?Mrs. Frank snaps. All her pent up anger is building and releases when she realizes that Mr. VD would steal food from kids.
  11. What news does Miep bring in scene 3 and what impact does the news have on everyone?D-Day, the invasion of the Allied powers, was very exciting to the people because TO THEM, it guaranteed a quick end to the war.
  12. Why are spirits low at the end of scene 3?Mr. Kraler’s illness required him to have surgery, AND the stolen radio was recovered. It may mean the thief could turn them in.
  13. Why does the sound of the telephone ringing make everyone rigid and tense?The sound adds tension because no one can answer it.
  14. What is Dussel’s theory about why the phone continues to ring?He thinks that Mr. Kraler is dead and they’ve closed the building.
  15. What is the difference between Anne’s reaction to the tension in scene 4 and Peter’s reaction?Anne stays positive throughout the whole thing, but Peter gets angry.
  16. When Anne says “I think myself out” what does she mean and what does that reveal about her?Anne is positive and imagines that she is out in the world.
  17. What does Anne wish for Peter?She wishes he had some religion.
  18. Anne makes an analogy between what is happening in the world and…what?The world is going through a phase like she did with her mother.
  19. What is the meaning of Mr. Frank’s final statement in scene 4?We’ve lived in fear, now we can live in hope. They’ve been so scared of being caught, and now they’ve been caught. Now they can live in hope that they can survive.
  20. Who arrives at the end of scene 4 and what does it mean for the residents of the secret annex?Nazi soldiers arrive and take them away. It means their time is hiding is coming to a close.
  21. What is the setting for scene 5? (Time/Date and Location)It’s the same as the start. November 1945 in the hiding place.
  22. What do Miep and Mr. Kraler reveal about their capture to Mr. Frank at the end?According to the play, the thief turned them in to the police.
  1. What happens to each of the annex characters at the end of the play?

  1. Mr. FrankSurvives and returns to Amsterdam
  2. Mrs. FrankDied
  3. Mr. and Mrs. Vann DaanDied
  4. PeterDied
  5. Mr. DusselDied
  6. MargotDied
  7. AnneDied

  1. What is it that puts Mr. Frank to shame and why?Anne stayed so positive throughout the play and her life, but he lost that feeling of positivity and was ashamed.

Identify the speaker and context (what was happening) of the following quotes.

  1. “Good! That leaves one…two…three…seven of us.”Mr. Van Daan
  2. “Yes. Yes. Everybody gets exactly the same…except Mr. Van Daan always gets a little bit more.”Mr. Dussell
  3. “You should be ashamed of yourself! Talking that way! Think how lucky we are! Think of the thousands dying in the war, every day. Think of the people in concentration camps.”Mrs. Frank
  4. “Well, any time you want to let off steam, you can come into my room.”Peter
  5. “Talk! That’s not what they called it when I was young.”Mrs. Van Daan
  6. “For the past two years we have lived in fear. Now we can live in hope.”Mr. Frank
  7. “Oh, no. No. We haven’t sunk so far that we’re going to fight over a handful of rotten potatoes.”Margot
  8. “I’ve just gone crazy. I think if something doesn’t happen soon…if we don’t get out of here…I can’t stand much more of it.” Peter
  9. “Make up your mind, already someone has had a nice big dinner from that cat!”Mr. Dussell
  10. “…it’s very selfish of her to keep it when people outside are in such desperate need of clothing. So if you will please to sell it for us.”Mr. Van Daan
  11. “You’re making a big mistake about me. I do it all wrong. I say too much. I go too far. I hurt people’s feelings. “Anne
  12. “You’re worse than he is! You’re a mother and yet you sacrifice your child to this man!”Mrs. Frank
  13. “Look at us, hiding for two years. Not able to move! Caught here like…waiting for them to come and get us….and all for what?”Peter
  14. “Stop it, You’re spoiling the whole invasion!”Mr. Dussell
  15. “For the past two years we have lived in fear. Now we can live in hope.”Mr. Frank
  16. “I can’t stand it! I’ll kill myself! I’ll kill myself!”Mrs. Van Daan