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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. In Chapter 22, the author mentions that which man was never expected to survive the war and didn't?

2. Which character begins falling in love with Sarkin Aung Wan?

3. According to Doc Peret, soldiers need to beware of an excess of what substance?

4. What proclamation does Doc Peret repeatedly make as the squad travels on the cart?

5. What is the next location on Third Squad's journey after Delhi?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What decision does Paul Berlin make at the observation tower in Chapter 8?

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

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

5. How does Cacciato toy with the Third Squad in this chapter?

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

7. Why do Stink Harris and Bernie Lynn have a falling out?

8. How does Sidney Martin aggravate Third Squad in Chapter 25?

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

10. How does the quiet of the village in Chapter 16 become insidious?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Paul Berlin is clearly a surrogate for Tim O'Brien in Going After Cacciato, developing the narrative as it is happening. Write an essay analyzing the storyteller role of Paul Berlin in the novel. How is Berlin's greatest weakness his tendency to self-mythologize? Is the central narrative of the novel, in fact, a massive self-delusion? In the end, is the creation of this delusion something beautiful, alarming, or both?

Essay Topic 2

Going After Cacciato is a mixture of fantasy and harsh reality, and the way in which Tim O'Brien interweaves these is as daring as any of the battles in the story.

Write an essay, in which you focus on three moments when fact and fantasy intersect. How does O'Brien make clear to the reader that he is shifting between these two planes? Where do these connections happen, and what characters do they involve?

Essay Topic 3

Throughout Going After Cacciato, both the author and the characters in the novel debate the reasons for American involvement in Vietnam. Write an essay about American interventionism, focusing on three instances in the narrative:

Part 1) In Tehran, Third Squad sits down for a drink with Captain Rhallon of the Iranian Savak. Why does he think America is having such a difficult time in Vietnam? How does Doc Peret respond to Rhallon's theory?

Part 2) Write a paragraph about Paul Berlin's promotion review for Spec Four. What reason does the unnamed major give for America's involvement in Vietnam? How does Paul Berlin respond to this?

Part 3) What hypothetical conversation does Paul Berlin hold with the young crying girl in a village Third Squad burned? What does he want to tell her about his reasons for coming to fight in her homeland?

(see the answer keys)

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