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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. Which of the following best describes what O'Brien is afraid of?

2. What is the goal of the soldiers in relation to the insurgents?

3. Where do the members of Alpha Company go when faced with an incoming explosive ordinance?

4. Which of the following is not an accurate description of the days in O'Brien's company?

5. Why do the Vietnamese boys follow the soldiers?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe at least three activities O'Brien did during his last summer at home before the war.

2. What is sometimes the cause of the explosive ordinance attacks?

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

4. What is available at the combat center for entertainment?

5. What is O'Brien's moral dilemma?

6. What are the soldiers constantly fighting to find?

7. Why didn't O'Brien sign up for two years?

8. What do the soldiers do that provokes a few Viet Cong hiding in the jungle to open fire before disappearing into the jungle?

9. What are the first few days like for O'Brien?

10. To whom does O'Brien write as he continues his plan to desert to Sweden?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write a letter to a congressman penned by O'Brien after he returned to America from his tour in Vietnam. Be sure to include his strong feelings, beliefs and reasons behind these beliefs and feelings.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay describing which event in the story struck you as being the most horrible and why. How does this event compare to any event in your own life which you had previously considered horrible? Describe how levels of horror may change throughout one's life.

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 607 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample