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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. What does Hodges notice in his friend's eyes?

2. What does Hodges read into the look that Kersey gives him about the attack on the OP?

3. What does Goodrich see hanging from a helicopter that is passing above him?

4. What does Waterbull tell the troop in his letter from home?

5. What does Goodrich do after a few months back home?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Kersey's reply when Hodges asks if there is anywhere dry where his men can wait out of the rain?

2. Why does Snake disagree with Kersey's order to move the men to the paddy?

3. What becomes of Dan and his men when they are on the road to Laos?

4. What does Hodges notice in his old classmate that he meets in the mess hall?

5. What does Goodrich see hanging from the helicopter that passes above him?

6. What is Bagger's reaction to Senator's insulting song about Hodges?

7. What does Hodges do when he is released from the Japanese hospital?

8. Describe Snake's feelings about serving in Vietnam?

9. What are the results of the investigation into Snake's participation in the killing of the civilian's that Senator reported?

10. Why does Dan disagree with Operation Lam Son 719?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

1) Analyze Bobby Hodges' personality and emotional changes throughout the novel.

2) What fears and emotions does he experience as he grows during his time in Vietnam?

3) How do his attitudes change as he develops from a civilian to an experienced soldier?

4) Cite examples of the character changes Hodges goes through from different scenes in the novel.

Essay Topic 2

Naturalism emphasizes that humans act by instinct, similar to animals, or compulsively driven by circumstances beyond their control.

1) Summarize three figurative comparisons that suggest either the animal nature of Snake or the compulsive nature of his actions.

2) Explain the answers as examples of Naturalism.

Essay Topic 3

1) What role does racism play in the novel?

2) Explain the relevance of the Black Shack and the effect it has on both the white and black soldiers.

3) Describe the unrest that racism causes between white and black men fighting and relying upon one another in battle.

4) Specifically, analyze the moral dilemma that Cannonball faces because of racism during the war.

(see the answer keys)

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