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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. How many of the three soldiers--Peewee, Richie, and the captive--are able to escape the Vietnamese troops?

2. Why doesn't the grenade that Richie throws into the Vietnamese hut explode?

3. What does Richie tell Kenny in the letter he writes about the Vietcong soldier?

4. Which soldier accidentally releases a flare during a fight, revealing the position of the troops?

5. What is the name of the soldier killed when the American troop's location is accidentally revealed?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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 does Richie do with his Purple Heart?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Richie's medical records float through the novel, appearing regularly to remind the reader how unorganized then military office is during the war. Briefly explain what the medical records meant to Richie, and how their inability to be locked down led the reader to see the chaos and uncertainty of war.

Essay Topic 3

All of the soldiers in Richie's squad have joined the army for very different reasons. Choose three soldiers from Richie's squad and briefly describe their reasons for joining the army. Then, explain how those motivations affected the soldier's performance in battle.

(see the answer keys)

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