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

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

3. Which soldier admits that he wanted to run to Canada when he heard he was drafted?

4. What happens when the soldiers realize that the war will not be ending anytime soon?

5. Which soldier freezes in sudden panic and needs Gearhart to scream him back into obedience?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

6. What race relation issues come to light during the time of Vietnamese Tet?

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

8. What happens when the Vietnamese allies want the American troops to help them capture a crucial hill?

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

10. How does Richie explain the shooting of the Vietcong soldier to his brother, Kenny?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

The letters that the soldiers send home are the only outlet that they have to their families.

Part 1) Explain the importance of the letters written from the soldiers to their families.

Part 2) Explain the importance of the letters written from family to the soldiers.

Part 3) Compare/contrast the letter writing processes of Richie and Peewee.

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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