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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. At what point does the Corporal tell the men they should start shooting the Hessians?

2. In what direction do the Hessians take Jonathan?

3. How long is Jonathan's gun in comparison to Jonathan?

4. What has happened to Jonathan's shoes as a result of the battle?

5. Who falls on top of Jonathan's gun in the midst of the battle?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why is Jonathan's father against Jonathan joining the war effort?

3. What does Jonathan's identification with the word "soldier" (spoken in German by the Hessian) lead him to feel?

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

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

6. What does it reveal about the soldiers when one of them shoots into the air as a joke?

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

8. In what way are Jonathan's feelings about the Corporal different than those of the other soldiers?

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

10. In what way does the Corporal mislead the soldiers as they head off to battle?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Name at least two points in the story when Jonathan finds it difficult to see because some type of fog (natural or manufactured) is clouding the air. What does this fog symbolize in terms of the realities of war and Jonathan's discoveries about it?

Essay Topic 2

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 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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