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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 are the Vietnamese soldiers holding as bait, trying to encourage the chopper to arrive?

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

3. Which character gets into a power struggle with Stewart, telling the men to follow him when Stewart tells them all to stay down?

4. What is the name of the soldier's new base, that they are moved to under Lieutenant Gearhart's command?

5. After Richie and Peewee are separated from their squad, where do they spend the night?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when the allies bring in a Vietnamese mother and her two small children found wandering around the rice paddies?

2. How does it come to be that Richie is shot?

3. When does Richie realize that Johnson would have been a natural-born leader?

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

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

6. In Kenny's letter to Richie about Johnny Robinson, what does he say?

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

8. What is the reaction among the troops when the newspaper arrives with photos of war protesters burning their draft cards?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the novel, the reader sees Richie's view of family shift after he makes relationships with other soldiers in his squad.

Part 1) Describe Richie's relationship with his family back home before he enlists in the army.

Part 2) Describe the fantasies that Richie has about family while he is in Vietnam.

Part 3) Describe the way that Peewee, and other soldiers in the squad, fill in for blood family while Richie is away.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

When Richie enters the army, he has firm beliefs of what his tour on duty will be like. Throughout his time in Vietnam, Richie's views about war changes many more times. Describe the way that Richie thought the war would be like when he entered the service, and then briefly describe the ways that his views of fighting changed over his time in Vietnam.

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