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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. Who does Simon Chestnut marry?

2. How long does Sarat lie in wait to make her kill at Halfway Branch?

3. What is the name of Sarat's lover?

4. When Joe comes to visit Sarat in her new home after the massacre, what gift does he bring her?

5. What is the name of the painkillers that Sarat gives to Benjamin?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is the informant that Sarat meets at Prince Wendel's neutral ground cafe?

2. How does Dana die?

3. What is Sugarloaf?

4. Explain the identity of Bud Baker and his relationship to Sarat.

5. Discuss Sarat's reaction to finding out that Gaines had lots of other recruits.

6. Why does Trough want to go with Sarat in the medical transport to the North?

7. When the Chestnut family goes to Market, what happens when Sarat tries to stab the Northern patrol soldier?

8. What is Sarat's reaction to the survival of her brother?

9. What does Benjamin ask Sarat about her own burial?

10. Explain the entertainment that goes on at the Citadel.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Who is Albert Gaines and what is his role in the radicalization of Sarat?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the background of the author of American War. Give three ways that his background affected his writing style and his story-telling ability.

Essay Topic 3

Define the literary term "motif" and discuss how the motif of smell is used in at least four examples in the novel.

(see the answer keys)

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