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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. Why does Sidney Martin take so long to get air support after the tunnel attacks?

2. Which of the following is not an activity that Sarkin Aung Wan and Paul Berlin do to pass the time in Delhi?

3. What action is Sarkin Aung Wan doing in Chapter 17 when Paul Berlin explains to her that they must catch Cacciato before going to Paris?

4. In Chapter 25, why is the mountain road particularly bad for a march?

5. How long has Li Van Hgoc been sentenced to duty in the tunnel?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what state is Pederson on the day he dies?

2. What does Paul Berlin hope regarding Cacciato?

3. How does Paul Berlin succeed in keeping Sarkin Aung Wan with Third Squad?

4. What plans does Paul Berlin make for his return home in Chapter 5?

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

6. What is the result of Chapter 3's vote?

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

8. Why can the Mayor of Ovissil not read Paul Berlin's history?

9. How do two men from Third Squad die in Chapter 9?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the character of Li Van Hgoc, O'Brien has created a complex portrait of the enemy for Third Squad to encounter, both a victim and perpetrator of Viet Cong cruelty.

Write an essay analyzing Li Van Hgoc and what O'Brien is saying about the nature of oppressive governance. How is Li Van Hgoc a threat to the safety of Third Squad, and why is he so kind and forthcoming? How does his faith illustrate the collective fate of the Vietnamese people in this cruel war?

Essay Topic 2

Midway through Going After Cacciato, Paul Berlin states that a fellow soldier's death can only be classified as a fact. Write an essay on the topic of death in the novel. Is there such a thing as a good death or a bad death in O'Brien's universe or is all death equally meaningless? Is there any difference in the way the author presents Bernie Lynn's death and the execution in Tehran? Is there any intimation from Berlin that there may be something after death?

Essay Topic 3

One recurring theme throughout the full Tim O'Brien cannon is the war story. Write an essay about the idea of the war story and its function in the world of the combat serviceman. How is the war story a form of first-aid to the traumatized soldier? When do the characters in the novel bust out their well-developed war stories? How are war stories that are, perhaps, the least factual also the most truthful? Do they add meaning to the meaningless violence of war?

(see the answer keys)

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