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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 Doc declare the Nazis and Japanese lost World War II?

2. Who is the gun-chewing boy in Chapter 31?

3. At the beginning of Chapter 31, as Third Squad stops during the march, what does Paul Berlin do?

4. At the end of Chapter 44, what does Sarkin Aung Wan state at the beginning of her speech she is pleading for?

5. What cause of death does Doc Peret give for Billy Boy Watkins?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Describe the hypothetical conversation Paul Berlin imagines with the young girl in hoop earrings.

3. How does Doc Peret get Third Squad out of trouble with Iranian authorities in Chapter 29?

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

5. Why does the Squad occasionally march down trails likely to be booby trapped?

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

7. Describe the girl from California in Chapter 40.

8. What news does Captain Rhallon bring Third Squad at the end of Chapter 33?

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

In many ways, Going After Cacciato is a rumination on the idea of desertion. Paul Berlin longs to walk away from the war, and his fantasy of Cacciato's flight to Paris offers him a window into a desertion scenario. Write an essay about the agonized decision to desert, focusing on three moments in the novel:

Part 1) Why do the men of Third Squad choose to hold a vote on whether to continue the pursuit after they cross into Laos? What arguments are made, and who among the Squad cannot brook the idea of continuing on?

Part 2) When Third Squad is arrested for desertion in Tehran, how does Doc Peret defend them to Captain Rhallon? Why do they personally believe that they have not abandoned their greater mission?

Part 3) Sum up the Paris debate held between Sarkin Aung Wan and Paul Berlin. How does Paul Berlin defend his decision not to leave Third Squad? What temptation does he overcome?

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

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?

(see the answer keys)

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