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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 many children does Smith have in Part One?

2. How do Gabriel and his men get to shore in Part Two, Chapter Five?

3. What is Liesl's role at the hospital?

4. What is Bilderbeck's response to a refusal of an Indian soldier to fight?

5. What is the condition of the person who summons Walter?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the author use point of view in the novel?

2. Describe Felix's interactions with his family in Part One, Chapter Four.

3. Summarize what Gabriel reflects on since his honeymoon while aboard a ship from India to Africa.

4. Describe how Felix and Holland react differently to the discrimination they face because they are not in military service.

5. What happens with the biplane in Part Two, Chapter Twelve?

6. What are Felix's plans after the wedding?

7. What is Walter's experience in the army like in Part Two, Chapter Twelve?

8. Why do the Germans continue to fight the war in Africa?

9. In Part Two, Chapter Four, Gabriel receives three letters. What do the letters say and who are they from?

10. What is the purpose of Wheech-Browning's visit to Walter's farm?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In Part Two, Chapter Fourteen, Walter finally makes it back to his farm. It is in terrible condition, with feces all over. His baby daughter's grave is desecrated and he discovers that his decorticator is missing. What is the decorticator a symbol of?

Essay Topic 2

An Ice Cream War tells the story of how World War I affects the lives of many characters in both Europe and Africa. The characters include British, German, and American characters who are both men and women. These characters are pulled into a war they do not fully understand and their lives are forever altered. Examine the historical context of the time period and what influence it has on the events in the novel. Use examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

Major Bilderbeck is an enigmatic character who befriends Gabriel aboard a troop transport ship. His strange mannerisms, specifically his manner of laughing at things that other people do not find immediately funny, might indicate something of an amoral personality. In an essay, write a character analysis of Major Bilderbeck.

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This section contains 975 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample