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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 the end of Chapter 40, Paul Berlin reasons that the root goal or the Vietnam War is to spread what?

2. As he marches with Third Squad in Chapter 31, what does Paul Berlin plan to do in the coming weeks?

3. Why does the earths start shaking in Chapter 41?

4. What does Paul Berlin begin doing involuntarily as he lays awake in Chapter 31?

5. Early in his arrival, Paul Berlin is warned by another soldier not to do what in regarding a paddy?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Paul Berlin feel about death in Chapter 32?

2. What does Paul Berlin rationalize is the essential purpose of the Vietnam War at the end of Chapter 40?

3. How does Paul Berlin characterize the true war stories he has in Chapter 42?

4. Why does Cacciato require convincing regarding the Martin murder?

5. What lesson does Oscar Johnson declare should be learned from Buff's death?

6. Describe Captain Rhallon.

7. What implied ultimatum does Sarkin Aung Wan make to Paul Berlin in Chapter 43?

8. How does Paul Berlin plan plan to cope with his fears in Chapter 31?

9. How does Third Squad determine happens to Buff's big gun?

10. How does Third Squad gain control of the VW van?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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

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

In the longer narrative of Going After Cacciato, Paul Berlin invents a number of figures that do not exist.

Write an essay about three of these figures. What function do they serve in the story? Do they stem from any real experience that Paul Berlin has? What do they say about the political or spiritual realities of the Vietnam War?

Part 1) Jolly Chand

Part 2) Captain Rhallon

Part 3) Sarkin Aung Wan

(see the answer keys)

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