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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. With whom is Charley Galloway when McInerney sees him?

2. What do Haughton and Forrest want Rickabee to do?

3. What does Barbara do when she sees Joe in Pickering's sitting room?

4. What ability of Koffler's does the group tell Banning about?

5. What injury did Joe receive in the jump?

Short Essay Questions

1. What about the military does MacArthur and Pickering discuss when they first meet?

2. Why is Koffler being dropped behind enemy lines?

3. What does McInerney want Galloway to do and how does Holcomb respond to that idea?

4. What does Captain Haughton want Rickabee to do?

5. What does Pickering do when MacArthur moves his headquarters? What does Pickering tell Knox about the Pacific operations?

6. What does Pickering tell Knox about Koffler's mission?

7. To what is Ellen promoted and what happens when Pickering comes to her hotel room?

8. Where is Barbara Cotter stationed in Melbourne and why is she at Pickering's house?

9. Who does Koffler see at the Elms and what do they discuss?

10. What does Pickering tell Knox about MacArthur and what he should be told? What does MacArthur want to do?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Howard, despite his background, is an officer and a gentleman and is therefore accorded more respect and trust even in enemy territory than the common soldier. Discuss the following:

1. Does it seem likely that officers are usually more respectable than enlisted men back then? What about today? Why or why not?

2. In the Raiders, Carlson wants no distinction between officer and enlisted. Explain why you think this is a good or bad idea. Use examples from the book to support your answer.

3. In the present military in the United States, both officers and enlisted can be held for court martial for adultery or having sexual relations with someone of inferior rank. Why do you think this is so? Do you agree with the policy?

Essay Topic 2

At the conclusion of a novel, most readers either consciously or unconsciously engage in processing the book and usually come to a conclusion as to whether they like the book or not. Discuss one of the following:

1. Would you consider Counterattack a "good" book? Why or why not? Use examples to illustrate your stance.

2. What do you think are the elements of an outstanding novel? Analyze one of your favorite novels to see if those elements are present.

3. What are some reasons you might consider a novel a failure? Analyze a novel you think is a failure and see if those elements are in that novel.

Essay Topic 3

Griffin is masterful in his description of battles and life in general 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 Counterattack 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 Fowler. Contrast that to the lives of those who are in a lower social strata such as Koffler or Howard to 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?

(see the answer keys)

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