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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 is guiding the remnants of the platoon in the cemetery?

2. What is Snake's reply to Kersey's order to move the men?

3. Why does Mitsuko refuse Hodges' marriage proposal?

4. Where does Mitsuko take Hitoshi to help him understand his past?

5. How does Cat Man feel as the helicopter flies away?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do Goodrich's parents welcome him back home?

2. What type of songs does Senator sing and play on his guitar after Hodges returns?

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

4. What becomes of Hodges while he tries to rescue the men in the cemetery?

5. How is Senator wounded in the cemetery?

6. What does Hodges' mother do with the flag and gold medal she receives that Hodges earned while in the war?

7. What is the reaction of Hodges' son when Mitsuko takes him to see his father's memorial?

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

9. What does Snake decide to do when Hodges arrives to help?

10. What is Snake's mother doing two years after he is killed in Vietnam?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

1) Analyze Goodrich's final acts in the story.

2) Was his character still misunderstood in the end? Justify the answer with examples from the story.

3) What alternatives did he have at the climax of the story?

Essay Topic 3

1) Write an introduction to the novel discussing James Webb's writing style, use of dialogue, irony, imagery, and point of view of the characters.

2) How do these literary elements affect the story?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 596 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample