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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. Who is the first person that Peewee accuses of being a "Cong"?

2. How does Lieutenant Doyle feel about this war?

3. What board game does Richie play twice a week?

4. Which soldier says that he is in Vietnam to stop the spread of communism?

5. Which of the following does Richie NOT wonder about the dead Vietcong soldier?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the soldiers told during their orientation speech upon arrival to Chu Lia?

2. What reasons drew Richie into joining the army?

3. What does Lobel tell Richie about himself, and his obsession with Hollywood, while the two are on patrol together?

4. How do the more experienced soldiers feel when they see the new soldiers arriving?

5. What does Captain Stewart change about Monaco's kill report, and why?

6. Why do the American troops ambush the village that they had recently pacified?

7. What happens during the new soldiers first night on patrol?

8. Why does Lobel feel that he is responsible for Lieutenant Carroll's death, and how does Richie console him?

9. What advice does Walowick give to Richie in regard to the dead Vietcong soldier?

10. Why isn't Richie able to answer the question about his future goals when speaking to the Red Cross workers?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The idea of heroism is present alongside the romanticism of soldiers. Choose two soldiers in the novel and describe the vocalizations these soldiers raise about heroism. Then, compare/contrast those vocalizations to the actual reactions the soldier see when they are faced with moments of heroism.

Essay Topic 2

Richie struggles, through much of the novel, to differentiate the difference between the "good guys" and the "bad guys" in war. Explain Richie's though process and how its changed over his time in Vietnam. Then briefly explain how the novel presents the idea of what is "good" and "bad" about war.

Essay Topic 3

The title of the novel is a very powerful one. Briefly describe the scene in which the title of the novel was first mentioned, and then explain how the title acts as a symbol for the soldiers fighting in the Vietnam war.

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