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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. What type of home remedy does Peewee purchase from a local healer?

2. What does Jenkins tell Richie that he fears about being in the army?

3. Whose address does Lobel offer to give Richie so that he'll have someone to write letters to?

4. What does the soldier in the breakfast hall call Peewee and Richie when they refuse his offer?

5. What does the squad sergeant call inexperienced soldiers?

Short Essay Questions

1. During the slow days, what does Richie learn about his fellow soldiers Brew, Lobel, and Monaco?

2. What news does Peewee receive from home in a letter from Earlene?

3. While they are on patrol together, what does Richie tell Lobel about his letter-writing problems, and what is Lobel's response?

4. Why is Richie's troop reassigned from the pacification mission in the village?

5. What happens when the new soldiers meet Johnson?

6. How does Lieutenant Carroll die?

7. What is Richie's response to seeing his first dead enemy soldier?

8. What offer does Lieutenant Carroll give to Richie in regard to his medical records, and what is Richie's response?

9. Before the troops see any action, what does Richie think about the fighting?

10. Why does Peewee ask Richie to write a letter to Earlene on his behalf?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

All of the soldiers see great traumas during their time in Vietnam, and each of the soldiers has their own coping mechanism. Choose two soldiers from the novel describe the scenes that most affected them during their time in service. Then, briefly compare/contrast their coping mechanisms.

Essay Topic 2

In the beginning of the novel, Rings makes a bizarre offer to RIchie and Peewee in order to cement their brotherhood.

Part 1) Describe the offer that RIngs presented and his reasoning behind it.

Part 2) Explain the ritual that Peewee and Richie partook in to cement their own brotherhood.

Part 3) Explain the way that Peewee and RIchie's ritual stuck with them throughout their time in war, and what it meant to them.

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the novel, many myths of what happens to a good, or strong, soldier are presented. Chose two military myths that were presented in the novel, and explain the ways that the reality of war in Richie's experience dispelled those myths.

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