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This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who does Eugene's notebook say is the best soldier in the platoon?

2. What religious holiday is it?

3. What is Eugene's new watchword?

4. How does Rowena react when Eugene visits her again?

5. What does Epstein tell Eugene to leave out of his writing?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the role of fantasy in the novel.

1) What are the different soldiers' fantasies, and what do those fantasies say about their characters? Can their fantasies be separated into different categories?

2) What is Toomey's fantasy, and why? Is Toomey's fantasy different from the soldiers' fantasies, and what does it say about Toomey as a character?

3) What role does having fantasies play in the characters' lives? Why do the characters want to discuss and bet on their fantasies?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss friendship in the novel.

1) The soldiers are thrown together from different backgrounds and with different personalities. To what extent do the soldiers develop friendships with each other? Which soldiers develop the closest friendships?

2) Is friendship different than mutual respect and reliance as soldiers? In what way?

3) How do the soldiers' differences from each other stand in the way of friendship? Does being in the army together forge friendship? How?

Essay Topic 3

Eugene grows from a boy into a man during the course of the play. How does the play define the quality of manhood?

1) What does it mean to be a man for Eugene? What is required of a man that's not required of a boy?

2) How does sex relate to manhood in the play? How does war relate to manhood in the play?

3) How do men in the play relate to each other? Do boys relate to each other differently than men?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 327 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample