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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. Where does Caputo go for advanced training?

2. How do they spend their first day at Danang?

3. What happens about two hundred yards away from the village?

4. In the evening, why are the peasant girls rushing down the road to their village?

5. Who makes up Caputo's first command?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the news that makes Caputo sorry he is not there instead of being in Okinawa?

2. What does Caputo say the old salts used to tell him is the most memorable moment in an officer's life?

3. Describe the Ruff-Puff's activity around the Beau Geste watchtowers.

4. What does the hospital corpsman tell Parker about his friend, Esposito?

5. What is it like for Caputo as they march back through Giao-Tri?

6. Why does the C-130 make a sudden steep assault-dive on the way to the war zone?

7. What is it like going back toward Charlie Ridge?

8. How does Caputo mention perception and locale when talking about troop size?

9. Early on the morning of his first assignment to go into combat, what fantasy goes through Caputo's head?

10. Describe the French Fort overlooking the paddies west of Hill 327.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

A recurring theme in the book is fear. Using examples of extreme fear in the book, write a paper about how fear can cause people to do things they would not normally do. You may want to relate this to a personal example of behavior when you were very frightened.

Essay Topic 2

Write a paper about how something that is at first repulsive and horrible can become so common place that it is scarcely given any thought later on. Use Caputo's experience as the Officer In Charge of the Dead. Relate that to civilian activities such as undertakers, doctors and nurses, and other such professions.

Essay Topic 3

Caputo discusses the deterioration of morals as the war goes on. Write your opinion about how extremely adverse situations may affect human morality. Give examples from the book of behavior in Vietnam that would not even be considered in main street USA.

(see the answer keys)

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