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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What phrase best describes the bulk of the soldiers in the South Vietnamese Army?
(a) Combat ready.
(b) Underprepared and untrained.
(c) Grizzled veterans.
(d) Cannon fodder.

2. The helicopters that carry the ARVN troops to the battle location are affectionately known by what name?
(a) Hogs.
(b) Flying Bananas.
(c) Pack Mules.
(d) Cobras.

3. John Paul Vann sees himself as a ____________ of the American way of life.
(a) Promoter.
(b) Guardian.
(c) Enemy.
(d) Grudging servant.

4. President Ngo Dinh Diem is made president of South Vietnam by the _______________.
(a) Viet Minh.
(b) People of South Vietnam.
(c) United Nations.
(d) American government.

5. Many refugees in South Vietnam belong to this religion.
(a) Catholic.
(b) Baptist.
(c) Buddhist.
(d) Methodist.

Short Answer Questions

1. What organization is established by President Kennedy to act as an advisory body to the government in South Vietnam?

2. The primary element of chance in the Battle of Ap Bac is which of the following?

3. The ARVN commanders feel ____________ to the forces of the Vietcong.

4. Which of the following cities is the site of the Vietnamese imperial palace?

5. What is the President of the Republic of Vietnam's French name?

Short Essay Questions

1. As adviser to the 7th Infantry Division of the ARVN, John Paul Vann is responsible for the defense and preservation of what area in Vietnam?

2. John Paul Vann retires from the military in 1963, only to go back to Vietnam with the AID in 1965 and serve until his death in 1972. Based on what we've learned from "The Funeral" section, why do you think he does this?

3. What other significant figures are introduced during this introductory section of the book? List two or three of them.

4. Why is General Huynh Van Cao's chief-of-staff, Lt. Colonel Bui Dinh Dam, selected, even though he is a North Vietnamese and General Huynh Van Cao is a general for the South?

5. Why do you believe General Harkins and others in the United States' military and intelligence communities put so much stock into the opinions of Vietnamese military leaders like General Huynh Van Cao, often at the expense of more sound advice from their own people, like John Paul Vann?

6. Briefly describe some of the things John Paul Vann did that get him categorized as lucky by those with whom he served.

7. What types of people come to pay their respects to John Paul Vann in Arlington in 1972? Why do you think they are there?

8. Why is the Battle of Ap Bac considered perhaps the most important confrontation of the entire Vietnam War?

9. What important political trends are taking place in North Vietnam and South Vietnam in the early 1960s?

10. What are some of the many diverse features of the populace in South Vietnam that prevented a strong, unified front against the Viet Cong?

(see the answer keys)

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