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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, Doc Peret tells Captain Rhallon that the nonexistent treaty legitimizing Third Squad's international travel was ratified in what city?

2. What is Cacciato doing while the other men vote to murder Sidney Martin?

3. How does Cacciato finally answer Paul Berlin's plea to agree to the murder?

4. Why are Third Squad arrested in Chapter 29?

5. Who discovers Buff's body in Chapter 41?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Third Squad intensify its search for Cacciato in Chapter 44?

2. Describe the girl from California in Chapter 40.

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

4. How does Lieutenant Martin precipitate his own murder in Chapter 34?

5. Describe Captain Rhallon.

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

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

8. What public event does Third Squad witness in Chapter 29?

9. Why does Doc Peret have to admit to the Cacciato chase in Chapter 33?

10. What does Buff's body look like when Cacciato finds it in Chapter 41?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The narrative of the novel begins with the announcement that Cacciato, the simpleton, has set off into the jungle to walk to Paris. Although the men of Third Squad are annoyed, they do not question the impetus that drove Cacciato. Write an essay on Paris as a symbol in Going After Cacciato. Why does the idea of walking to Paris appeal to all of the men in the Squad? What does Paris represent to each of them, and what doe they find themselves doing once they arrive?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Write an essay detailing how Third Squad is a microcosm for the functional military as a whole, focusing on three allegorical characters and how the rest of the Squad relates to them:

Part 1) Lieutenant Sidney Martin represents the unquestioned mission-focused structure of the military. How is his conception of Vietnam dangerous to his men and incompatible with reality? How does Third Squad respond to him?

Part 2) How Oscar Johnson a response to Sidney Martin? Does he represent unofficial standard operating procedure? In what ways is he the most powerful figure in Third Squad as a result?

Part 3) If Martin and Johnson represent the most unyielding of war, how does Doc Peret represent the flexible compassion that combat engenders? What actions does he take that illustrate this?

(see the answer keys)

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