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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. How did the Swift Boat Veterans feel as a result of Kerry's cameo appearance and motives?

2. What does O'Neill call Kerry's claims of "atrocities"?

3. What was the title of Kerry's book?

4. As O'Neill states, what was the crowd's response when Kerry was introduced at the 2003 Swift Boat Veterans Reunion?

5. How was Joe Ponder wounded during the war?

Short Essay Questions

1. How many people did not sign the Swift Boat Veterans' open letter to Kerry, how important is it, and what are some of the possible reasons they did not participate?

2. How is Lupetti's observation in Vietnam relevant to Kerry and the ideas about him that the book outlines?

3. What is the reason the authors do not use the word, "President", instead, referring to the position as the "Commander in Chief"?

4. How many signatures are on the open letter to Kerry by the Swift Boat veterans, and why is that important for the book's main point?

5. Who is Bill Lupetti and what did he observe on his return trip to Vietnam?

6. What is the general purpose of an Introduction, and how do O'Neill and Corsi use it to establish their intentions in Unfit for Command?

7. What was the difference between Joe Ponder's account of his injury and Kerry's account of the same incident, and how does O'Neill refer to Ponder's part in the reunion?

8. What does the quote from John Edwards say and why is it so effective?

9. Who is Roy F. Hoffman and why is his opinion regarded so highly?

10. What is the purpose of the open letter the Swift Boat Veterans issue to John Kerry?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What are the questions the authors ask at the end of the Introduction? Why are the answers to them critical to the effectiveness of the authors' main points? What do the authors hope to accomplish with the rest of the book? How have they proven their sincerity in the Introduction, and how does that make them more credible?

Essay Topic 2

After reading Unfit for Command, did the authors achieve their objective? Why or why not? Describe 3 examples of the strongest and most convincing parts of their presentation. Is this a book that every voter should have read before the 2004 election? Overall, did O'Neill and Corsi prove beyond a reasonable doubt that their positions were accurate and worth bringing to the attention of the American people? How?

Essay Topic 3

What events caused Kerry to be awarded the Silver Star? What was the purpose for Kerry's assignment? How did he and his fellow officers carry out their orders? What was the end result and why did the officers think it was comical? How did Kerry use the situation to get the medal? In what ways does the Silver Star award continue the pattern of behavior that Kerry followed during his tour?

(see the answer keys)

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