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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. The conflicting descriptions of the sniper that make him sound both young and mature are an example of what technique?

2. What river is near the sniper's position?

3. Once he is wounded, what makes it difficult for the sniper to achieve his goal?

4. What do the Republicans want?

5. What is the first physical sensation the sniper feels in the place where he has been shot?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the sniper react to being shot?

2. Who are the Republicans at war with, and what does this opposition believe?

3. Describe the wound that the sniper suffers.

4. How does the sniper fool his enemy?

5. In the sentence "Almost immediately, a bullet flattened itself against the parapet of the roof," (96), what is being personified and what purpose does the personification of the bullet serve?

6. Who is the protagonist of "The Sniper" and what is he fighting for?

7. How does the enemy sniper manage to shoot the protagonist?

8. When the reader first encounters the sniper, what is he doing, and why?

9. What causes the sniper to suddenly lose his enthusiasm for the battle?

10. What is the setting of "The Sniper"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the use of the River Liffey as a symbol in "The Sniper." Describe how it appears in the story, background information on the river, and how these two elements combine to create meaning.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the paradox in the story's description of the sniper's appearance.

Essay Topic 3

Explain why the ending of "The Sniper" creates dramatic irony.

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