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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. Which soldier is approached by Lt. Dongan asking if Lobel is a homosexual?

2. What is the name of the Vietnamese New Year?

3. Where do Richie and Peewee make their way to after being separated from the squad?

4. At the end of the fight over land in Vietnam, what is dropped by jet plane into the clearing?

5. After the trauma of visiting the recently pacified Vietnamese village, whose bed does Richie sleep in for comfort?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Richie kill his first Vietcong soldier, and what is his reaction to the killing?

2. How does Monaco escape the clutches of the Vietnamese soldiers?

3. What conversation does Richie get into with Johnson about the war protesters?

4. What power struggle arises between Johnson and Stewart in the battlefield of the reclaimed hill?

5. What offer does Gearhart make for the troops, when it is realized that the squads are unequally staffed?

6. How are Richie and Peewee separated from the rest of their troop?

7. Where do Richie and Peewee spend the night when they are separated from their squad, and how do they find their way there?

8. What do the American soldiers see when they return to the village in Vietnam that they had recently tried to pacify?

9. How do the American soldiers prepare the bodies of their fallen soldiers so that the enemy cannot mutilate them?

10. What letter does Gearhart give to Richie and Walowick to hold onto?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout this novel, the theme of innocence is presented through the soldiers' naivety. Briefly describe one scene that highlights the innocence of one or more of the soldiers. Then describe the way that the novel functions as a testament to the loss of youth through war.

Essay Topic 2

The dog tags of the soldiers are powerful symbols for their identification in the military. Describe the ways that the dog tags are used throughout the novel and explain the significance of the moment when all the dog tags of the fallen soldiers are lost.

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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