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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. Which of the following is an unofficial SOP mentioned in Chapter 4?

2. The sight of which soldier fills Sidney Martin with pride in Chapter 25?

3. While practicing in a fake minefield in Chapter 4, how do new soldiers know that have tripped a "mine?"

4. How is Cacciato dressed when Paul Berlin spots him in Chapter 18?

5. How does Stink Harris lose his hold on Cacciato in the brush?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Paul Berlin lose Cacciato in Mandalay?

2. How does the Squad figure out that they are on the same train that Cacciato took?

3. What surprise announcement does the Lieutenant make to Third Squad in Chapter 26?

4. How does Third Squad end up on a cart with three Vietnamese women in Chapter 6?

5. Why do living circumstances become awkward for Third Squad in Delhi?

6. What difficulty arises when Lieutenant Corson tries to leave Li Van Hgoc's tunnel in Chapter 15?

7. What finally prods Third Squad to consider killing Sidney Martin?

8. How does Sarkin Aung Wan react to Paul Berlin's description of their mission?

9. Why does Paul Berlin feel guilty for Frenchie Tucker and Bernie Lynn's deaths?

10. Describe Lieutenant Corson.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Going After Cacciato, as a novel, is the dueling of two narratives. One, the story of Cacciato's flight to Paris, is beautiful, meaningful, and false. The other, the story of Sidney Martin's murder, is nihilistic, sad, and sadly factual. It is a war story that cannot be told. Write an essay about the dynamic of between these two stories. Why does one necessitate the creation of the other? Why is the latter entirely unsatisfactory as a story? Does it have any substantive lesson to teach?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay charting the progression of Oscar Johnson. How does he begin as a sympathetic figure - a man who cares for the safety of Third Squad - and slowly become a major antagonist to Paul Berlin? What does Oscar care for primarily? How are his grievances against the cavalier Sidney Martin similar to his grievances against the incompetent and deluded Paul Berlin?

Essay Topic 3

The character of Cacciato in the novel exists on two different planes: the Cacciato that exists, and the the Cacciato that exists in Paul Berlin's mind.

Write an essay about Cacciato as he appears in three different points in the novel. It this appearance real or invented? What is Cacciato doing, and how does this further the story? Does Cacciato seem to have any major objective?

Part 1) Cacciato in Delhi

Part 2) Cacciato outside the prison cell in Tehran

Part 3) Cacciato in the World's Greatest Lake Country

(see the answer keys)

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