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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. How does Joe finally get fired?

2. Why does Bonham think he is dying?

3. What happened to Joe's left arm?

4. What famous person flies into Joe's hometown one day?

5. What does Joe finally do after thinking about a lottery?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Joe see on the way home from the train station?

2. How far does Joe walk to get to the bakery and how much money does he make?

3. What does Joe think about guys fighting for liberty?

4. Why does Joe think being the way he is is worse than being in the womb?

5. How does Joe realize he has no left arm and how does he feel about it?

6. Describe the scene at the rail station when Joe is leaving for the army.

7. When did Joe become aware of the war and what events in the war occurred at that time?

8. What doesn't Joe understand about being alive?

9. Describe the scene at Joe's parents house when he arrives home after his father died.

10. Where does Joe see Jose while he's lying in bed, what does he ask him and what does Joe figure out?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Bonham recalls much of his life, and in a sense, writes a "memoir" in his mind. One aspect of a memoir is the idea of memory. Discuss the following:

1. How accurate do you think Joe's recall is about specific incidents in his life? Explain.

2. Do you think Joe is more or less likely to remember his past considering his present situation? Explain your reasoning.

3. Does recalling his life help Joe remain self-aware? Why or why not? Why would he want to remain self aware?

Essay Topic 2

One of the images in the book is the returning to the womb of an adult. Joe often expresses a feeling of being in a womb. When he first begins assessing his situation in the hospital, he expresses the desire that his mother care for him as he saw her care for his youngest sister, Elizabeth. Discuss the following:

1. How is the image of being in a womb both a positive and negative one in the book?

2. Why do you think Joe yearns for his mother to treat him like his young sister? Do you think his mother would be willing to care for Joe?

3. Many people who are dying, especially unexpectedly or in combat, call out for "mother." Discuss why you think this is so and include examples from the text.

Essay Topic 3

Joe Bonham also has to join, and ends up lying in bed, thinking this is no place for him, no war for him, none of his business. What does he care about making the world safe for democracy?

1. Compare Joe's feelings about war and his assertion that it is none of his business with the ideas many Vietnam draftees expressed.

2. Do you think Joe's reaction to war is a common reaction for draftees? Why or why not?

3. The idea that rich, political persons declare war but the common, poor person fights them. Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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