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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. When was the last time Jonathan was as far from home as he is on the way to the battle?

2. What does Jonathan hear on the morning of April 3rd?

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

4. What does Jonathan realize as the enemy officers get closer?

5. What signals the soldier that the enemy is on their way?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What happens when the Corporal suggests to the men that if they're not happy with his leadership, they should replace him as leader?

3. What has Jonathan heard about the Hessians' reputation for how they treat their prisoners?

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

5. Why does the youngest Hessian seem safer and more trustworthy to Jonathan than the other two?

6. How do the local men react to the Corporal at the beginning of the story?

7. What happens when the Corporal orders the men to organize themselves into lines?

8. How does the battle affect Jonathan's orientation in terms of time and space?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the significance of the language barrier between Jonathan and the orphaned child? What other communication difficulties does this mirror? How would the plot have advanced differently if the boy had been able to tell Jonathan his story?

Essay Topic 2

What is the author's view of war? How does he use the murder of the child's parents to advance this view? What does the Corporal symbolize in regard to the author's view of war?

Essay Topic 3

In what ways is this book a coming-of-age story? What are the major events that cause Jonathan to change from a child to an adult, and how do these changes manifest in him? How is he different before and after his experiences as a soldier?

(see the answer keys)

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