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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 when Jonathan starts to whistle on the way to the battle?

2. How does Jonathan feel when he is alone after the battle?

3. What happens when the Corporal invites the men to replace him?

4. Where does Jonathan go to find out information about the ringing of the bell?

5. Who holds Pennington and Trenton at the beginning of the story?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Jonathan begin to understand what the Hessians are saying to him?

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

3. What do the men debate about once they have reached their destination for the battle?

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

5. Why does Jonathan try to understand the Hessians' words when he knows he doesn't speak their language?

6. How do the soldiers react to the woman in Rocktown when she runs away upon learning that enemy soldiers are on their way?

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

8. What mixed message does the tavern keeper send Jonathan?

9. Does Jonathan have a realistic idea of what war entails at the beginning of the story?

10. How do the American soldiers feel as they see the enemy soldiers approach?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why does the author present the youngest Hessian as being so much more decent than the other two? What does this reveal about the author's vision of youth, and how does it relate to Jonathan's youth?

Essay Topic 2

When the Frenchman explains to Jonathan that soldiers either kill or get killed, what is it about Jonathan's experience that leads him to believe that it may not be this black-and-white? How has Jonathan's notion of what it means to be a soldier changed?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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