View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does O'Brien hide behind?

2. Which of the following terms does Blyton call Erik when he voices his opposition to the war?

3. Which of the following does O'Brien use to describe the way Alpha company came out of the jungle?

4. Which area is considered really dangerous?

5. What task does the squad leader make the squad do?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the soldiers constantly fighting to find?

2. What do the soldiers often do on the long routine marches that sometimes alerts the enemy to their location?

3. Describe the backdrop for O'Brien's upbringing.

4. How does O'Brien spend his last summer before starting basic training?

5. Why do the Vietnamese people go everywhere the men of Alpha Company go?

6. What provides O'Brien with his only intellectual connection?

7. What does O'Brien admit to the reader at the end of chapter three?

8. What do the members of Alpha Company do that is ignoring the orders from their officers?

9. The Starlight scope is what kind of technology?

10. What causes fear and paranoia in the soldiers?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay making a personal judgment on the Vietnam War based on O'Brien's experience. Do you believe O'Brien feels the war was justified? Do you believe that O'Brien feels his own actions were justified? Do you believe O'Brien feels the actions of the others he knew during his time in the war were justified?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the changes O'Brien went through throughout all of his time in Vietnam. In what ways did he become a better person? In what ways was he too hard on himself? Use specific examples from the novel to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay about why O'Brien went through most of Vietnam feeling alone and isolated when he was surrounded by people. Should he have felt alone? Do you think O'Brien isolated himself, events isolated him, or his peers isolated him? Why do you feel that way?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 560 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample