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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. What literary device does the author use to describe how Charis' affair started?

2. In Part Three, Chapter Five, why is Gabriel unable to watch Liesl bathe?

3. How many miles is it from where Felix gets off the train to Kibongo?

4. What do the birds circling indicate?

5. From whose point of view is Part Two, Chapter Fourteen?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when Felix goes to the pond to think in Part Two, Chapter Seventeen?

2. What reason, besides political, does Gabriel have for staying in the hospital?

3. What are Gabriel's feelings for Liesl in Part Three?

4. How does Felix nearly get shot while teaching the Portuguese troops?

5. What comparisons does Charis make between the two brothers, Gabriel and Felix?

6. Describe the letters Charis writes to Gabriel in Part Two, Chapter Sixteen.

7. Why do you think Charis commits suicide?

8. What consequences do the British face for not heading Walter's advice?

9. Where is Gabriel held as a prisoner in Part Three, Chapter Six and how does he escape?

10. What news does Von Bishop receive by motorcycle?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the beginning of the novel, Felix is a youth attempting to negotiate a difficult and awkward transition from adolescence to adulthood. By the end of the novel Felix is battle-scarred and world-weary.war. By the time Felix boards a ship to take him back to England, he has seen years of gruesome death, some even involving loved ones. Felix himself has also been forever physically altered or damaged. Through the course of the novel, Felix Cobb can be thought of as two characters in one. In an essay, conduct a character analysis of Felix Cobb that addresses these points.

Essay Topic 2

An Ice Cream War tells the story of how World War I affects the lives of many characters in both Europe and Africa. The characters include British, German, and American characters who are both men and women. These characters are pulled into a war they do not fully understand and their lives are forever altered. Examine the historical context of the time period and what influence it has on the events in the novel. Use examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

The characters in the novel, Walter and Felix, start out indifferent to the war. Both think that the war will not effect their lives. However things for Walter change that cause him to take sides and join the war. In an essay, analyze the how Walter and Felix feel about the war, and what changes for both characters that cause them to enter the war.

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