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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does Caputo lose radio contact with one of his operators?

2. How does Caputo describe the sounds of VC rifle fire?

3. What happens during Caputo's first night as assistant adjutant?

4. After Caputo's dream, what vision does he have in the daylight?

5. How does Caputo classify Gen. Westmoreland?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why are the VC attacking with small arms each night for several days?

2. Describe the Marines in Caputo's dream platoon.

3. What is Caputo's opinion of Maj-Gen Lew Walt the night of the first VC assault on the battalion base camp?

4. How does the platoon snap and go on a rampage/

5. What becomes Caputo's chief responsibility and how does he begin to see himself?

6. Why are the men of C Company pleased about the treats sent to them?

7. Why is the old Vietnamese man lucky the night of the interrogation?

8. Why does Caputo volunteer for the line?

9. Coming across a clearing, how does Caputo manage to get to the other side?

10. What does Corporal Stasek say about the bodies the colonel wants left out for the clerks and General Thompson to see?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

A recurring theme in the book is fear. Using examples of extreme fear in the book, write a paper about how fear can cause people to do things they would not normally do. You may want to relate this to a personal example of behavior when you were very frightened.

Essay Topic 2

Write a paper on the idealism of the young and inexperienced. Use Caputo and his platoon leaving Okinawa convinced they could end the war in a matter of days and the new arrivals of Battalion one-three as your examples. If possible relate that to some time in your life when you thought something might be a simple matter to solve even when more experienced people were telling you it was more difficult than you thought.

Essay Topic 3

Mob frenzy is an interesting phenomenon. Starting from the total destruction of the village after the Claymore wounded or killed so many men, write a paper on mob mentality and how it causes people to get caught up in the moment without thinking. Compare that to some incident in recent history that you know about.

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This section contains 715 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample