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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. According to John Paul Vann and the author, in what year does the U.S. Marines begin to burn villages to flush out Vietcong encampments?

2. In what year does Cabot Lodge, Jr., arrive in Vietnam?

3. By late 1965, the Saigon/U.S. and VC forces begin to:

4. What word best describes the atmosphere in Vietnam in 1965, according to John Paul Vann?

5. Which religious group does President Ngo Dinh Diem persecute most severely?

Short Essay Questions

1. Which parent did the majority of the household chores in the Vann home? Why?

2. Why did General Harkins feel the way he did about John Paul Vann's report?

3. What was John Paul Vann's strategy for turning the war in the United States' favor? How did this differ from the U.S. policy at the time?

4. What were some of John Paul Vann's assigned duties upon his return to Vietnam?

5. What new war tactic, employed by the U.S. marines in 1965, particularly disgusted John Paul Vann and why?

6. One of the unique features of the Vietnam War was the war correspondent (a special type of journalist) that went to the war zone and reported on what was happening there. How did this affect how the U.S. military commanders conducted the war?

7. With whom did John Paul Vann spend a great amount of his time growing up? Why?

8. What media figure befriends John Paul Vann and is responsible for stealing and leaking the "Pentagon Papers" to the U.S. media? What strategy of John Paul Vann's did this person find most appealing?

9. In 1963, President Diem set off what was known as the "Buddhist Crisis". What was this and what was the eventual result of it?

10. What prominent CIA figure eventually adopted and promoted John Paul Vann's assessment of the Vietnam War? Why was this person important?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In what ways was John Paul Vann's relationship with his Vietnamese counterpart, Huynh Van Cao, indicative of all the early pre-war operations of the ARVN? How much of a role do you think language played in the various events that transpired? Would things have gone better had John Paul Vann and Huynh Van Cao been more relaxed in dealing with one another?

Essay Topic 2

Describe five or six of the more prominent attendees at John Paul Vann's funeral. Why do you think each one was there and what was the political, social, or emotional reason for their attendance?

Essay Topic 3

When Richard M. Nixon was elected president in 1968, what actions did he take with regard to the war in Vietnam? Provide 2-3 examples, along with your analysis of whether or not these actions helped or hindered the war effort. Also, how did Nixon's policies mesh or differ with the views espoused throughout the book by John Paul Vann?

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