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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. About how much has U.S. military power been reduced from its former capacity?

2. What is the official reason that U.S. communications are cut off in the Pacific during the Japanese attack?

3. What goes wrong in the process to create rust-resistant tanks?

4. What does Ryan realize about the U.S. military?

5. What are "zaibatsu"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What causes the economic collapse in the U.S.?

2. What information does Yamata want Seiji Nagumo to acquire from Chris Cook?

3. How does Yamata act on the information he gains about the Durling administration?

4. What is the international economic impact of the Trade Reform Act?

5. Why is Cook cautious about accepting Nagumo's offer, and why does he agree to do so?

6. How does Yamata's financial tracking program affect the U.S. economic collapse?

7. Why does Yamata think the information he gains about the Durling administration is incriminating?

8. How effective is the Japanese strike against the U.S. Navy? What are the results of this engagement for the Navy?

9. What is the state of Yamata's nuclear preparations when Ryan and the U.S. President go to Moscow?

10. How does the Trade Reform Act negatively impact Japan's economy?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In order to offer an effective counter to the Japanese military advances, Ryan constructs an intricate plan of attack. The plan makes the most of every available resource and requires the close coordination and cooperation of different forces in different areas. It requires both surprise and a great deal of secrecy, but it succeeds spectacularly.

Part 1) Discuss the United States' military goals and the resources available to obtain these goals.

Part 2) Explain Ryan's plan in detail, step-by-step.

Part 3) Describe the execution of the plan, detailing how successful the various aspects of it are, and how well the overall strategy comes together to achieve the United States' goals.

Provide support for your conclusions with quotes from the novel.

Essay Topic 2

Secrecy is crucial to many of the operations planned and carried out in this novel. The author even keeps the reader in the dark about many of these plans until they are executed. This secrecy is achieved in different ways, and when this vital information is leaked, it causes major problems for both sides.

Part 1) Explain how secrecy is used by both sides for strategic advantage.

Part 2) Discuss the ways that both sides achieve and maintain secrecy. Compare and contrast their methods.

Part 3) Use examples from the book to illustrate how successfully maintaining secrecy over an operation can yield enormous results, and how leaked information causes immense problems.

Provide support for your conclusions with quotes from the novel.

Essay Topic 3

Intelligence operations are an important part of this novel. Many critical plot lines revolve around the covert actions of U.S., Russian, and even Japanese operatives. Their methods are varied and range from the ultra-high-tech to the incredibly mundane, but they often manage to get information and secure targets that could never be achieved otherwise.

Part 1) Describe some of the intelligence operatives seen in the novel. Explain these individuals personalities, backgrounds, and skills, and make a generalized statement about agents from each major nation discussed in the book.

Part 2) Explain some of the methods used by operatives throughout the novel. Compare high and low-tech solutions to similar problems.

Part 3) Discuss some of the results achieved by intelligence operatives. Assess how critical these results are, how they affect the narrative, and whether they could have achieved their goals by other available methods.

Use examples and quotes from the book to support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

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