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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 happens as the Americans and Hessians begin shooting at one another?

2. What does Jonathan wonder when he and the Hessians pass the dark stain on the road?

3. What do the American soldiers do as the Hessian soldiers come closer?

4. What does Jonathan wonder about as he and the Hessians rest?

5. What is Jonathan afraid of as he and the Hessians rest?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why doesn't Jonathan call out when he thinks he sees the Corporal while he is with the Hessians?

2. Why doesn't Jonathan try to escape from his captors?

3. How does Jonathan feel about Hessians, as opposed to Tories?

4. How is the Corporal described at the beginning of the story?

5. What new questions does Jonathan ask himself just before the battle begins?

6. How does Jonathan feel about his performance in the battle?

7. What triggers the start of the battle, and how does this set the tone for the battle?

8. How do Jonathan's feelings about fighting begin to be altered on the way to the battle as he hears the other soldiers talking?

9. What makes Jonathan feel that the world has grown very small when he is with the Hessians?

10. What is Jonathan's perception of the enemy soldiers as they come in closer range?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How has the young child's experiences mirrored Jonathan's own experiences of war? In particular, how have they both been changed by the horrors they have seen? What does this have to do with Jonathan's decision to protect the child at any cost?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the use of time-stamping throughout the book. What effect does it have on the reader to see events unfold more slowly or more quickly using this device?

Essay Topic 3

Why does Jonathan's father neglect to share his own experiences with and concerns about war with Jonathan, both before and after Jonathan goes to fight? In what ways might his father's silence be a contributing factor in Jonathan's strong desire to go to war? How might Jonathan's outlook and actions be different if his father had been more open with him?

(see the answer keys)

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