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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 Phuong accompany Kien on the train when they sign up for the war effort?

2. What does the letter urge him to do?

3. How did Kien's friend Tam die?

4. Who was Toan?

5. Where does Kien go in Part Five to reminisce about the War?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Kien hallucinate about his nurse in Hanoi?

2. Why is the letter that Kien receives important?

3. Why is the image of the storm symbolic for Kien?

4. Who is Kien's first 'kill' of the war?

5. Where do Kien and Phuong go to escape when they hear about the war?

6. What is symbolic about the farm that Kien and his comrades visit?

7. What was Phuong forced to become?

8. Why is Kien ridiculed by his fellows in the post war period?

9. Why does Kien almost kill himself?

10. How many times does Phuong's memories come back to Kien during the war?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is meant by the term writing style? What is the author’s writing style in this novel? How might the reader be impacted by the author’s style?

Essay Topic 2

Is the Vietnam War a character in the story? Explain your reasoning.

Essay Topic 3

One theme of the novel is survivor guilt. Discuss how this theme is presented in the story.

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