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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. When was Pick's first airplane ride?

2. What does the hotel manager offer Pick?

3. What does McCoy ask Zimmerman to do in Chapter II?

4. How did Pick respond to the air maneuvers the flight instructors does?

5. What does Ernie realize when McCoy returned to home after being wounded?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where do Pick and Stecker do after their first flight and what happens there?

2. What branch of the service is Thomas McCoy in and what kind of problem has he had?

3. To what job has Zimmerman and Kozonwski been assigned in Chapter I?

4. How does Carlson introduce McCoy to the Separate Battalion and what does he tell them?

5. In what situation did Pickering discover he loved Martha?

6. Who does Ernie meet at the grocery store in Chapter XI and what does she do?

7. Where does Sergeant Zimmerman when Esposito sees him in Chapter XVI? What does Esposito ask Zimmerman about?

8. What does the navy psychiatrist tell Banning?

9. What happens that makes Martha finally admit her feelings for Pick?

10. Where do Ernie and McCoy stay the night on the way to San Diego and what does he tell her?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Lieutenant McCoy is what they call a mustang, an enlisted man who came up to be an officer. The other officers do not like this. They want the officer to be college graduates. That is one of the problems they have with Colonel Carlson and probably one of the reasons McCoy likes him. Carlson does not want any distinguishing of rank between his Raiders. He does not think that it is good for them to see the officers sleeping in cots while they sleep on the ground or eating better.

1. How do you think Colonel Carlson's ideas about rank might affect discipline? Use examples from Call to Arms to support your answer.

2. Other officers resenting those who did not go to college is not uncommon in other institutions. There are many situations in which a person is qualified to do a job without formal education and those with formal education might resent that person. Discuss what you believe are the interpersonal and personality dynamics of this type of situation. Use examples to support your answer.

3. Throughout history, as long as there has been rank in the military or classes in the social sphere treatment of people have been unequal. Officers have always had better quarters and food. Kings sleep in better homes than carpenters. Do you think inequality of people is good or bad? Could it motivate those in the lower hierarchies to work harder or just make them resentful? Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of unequal status among humans.

Essay Topic 2

Griffin is masterful in his description of battles and life in general in for a soldier during the second world war. Discuss one of the following:

1. Trace and analyze Griffin's descriptive passages about life as a soldier. How does he use descriptions of the five senses to make the reader feel s/he is there? Do you find his descriptions compelling? Seemingly accurate? How would Corps 02: Call to Arms be different if Griffin did not include such descriptive passages?

2. Analyze Griffin's descriptive passages about the social structure of the times and discuss what you think it would be like to be a person of wealth and/or privilege such as Pickering, or Wesley. Contrast that to the lives of those who are in a lower social strata such as McCoy and Zimmerman or one in service to someone of wealth and/or privilege.

3. Describe and analyze Griffin's descriptive passages about the topographical setting and the physical descriptions of the people. Does Griffin do an adequate job of actually making the reader "see" the land or sea where the action is taking place? How about getting a visual image of the characters? How does the descriptions of the setting add to the novel? Do you like having an idea of how a character looks? How would the novel be different without such descriptions?

Essay Topic 3

Though this novel is probably more action-driven rather than character-driven, obviously there are several characters who make the novel what it is. Discuss one of the following:

1. Compare and contrast the characters of McCoy and Zimmerman. Include their goals, sense of honor, abilities, and social skills.

2. Compare and contrast the characters of Lieutenant Stecker and Pickering.

3. Thoroughly analyze the character of McCoy discussing both his strong and weak points and how both affect the outcome of the plot.

(see the answer keys)

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