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 other event besides Miami does Kennedy cancel in this section?

2. What was Frank Vasquez's profession?

3. Into what port town do Marina and Lee arrive at the end of the chapter?

4. What does Oswald tell the American embassy he will do for the Russians?

5. In Dallas, who convinces Lee that his destiny is to kill Kennedy?

Short Essay Questions

1. On October 4th, what does Branch learn about Kennedy's Miami visit?

2. Why do Lee and Marina decide to return to America?

3. How does Lee Oswald decide to kill General Walker?

4. What does Oswald do in Dallas prior to killing Kennedy?

5. How does Lee meet George de Mohrenschildt?

6. How does Lee have a falling out with the FBI in New Orleans?

7. What new plan is Frank Vasquez hatching on September 6th?

8. Describe the interviews Oswald has in Moscow?

9. How does Lee Oswald try to expedite his meeting with Soviet agents after his suicide attempt?

10. What strange items has the CIA curator provided Branch with?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

As the catalyst for the Kennedy assassination, Win Everett is a strangely benign and ambiguous figure. In an essay, discuss the grievances he expresses regarding the Kennedy administration. What does he want his fake assassination to achieve? Based on these goals, does Everett seem left or right in his political leanings? Is he an inherently violent man?

Essay Topic 2

In Libra, individuals resort to violence when they feel trapped and marginalized in their lives. Discuss this striking out that occurs when characters feel they have no other options in a three-part essay:

Part 1) What indignities and profession setbacks has Win Everett suffered prior to the events of the novel? Why does he feel he has no voice in the intelligence community? Discuss how he decides staging an assassination attempt will remedy these injustices.

Part 2) Discuss the dreams and hopes that Lee Oswald has throughout the novel, and how their failure leads him to consider murder as an alternative. What purpose does the assassination serve for him personally? How does he feel empowered?

Part 3) What personal challenges is Jack Ruby facing when DeLillo introduces him near the end of the novel? What tactics does he use to avoid complete failure? What role does the murder of Oswald play in his personal redemption?

Essay Topic 3

In writing Libra, Don DeLillo faces the deep challenge to make an unimaginably despised man understandable. Write an essay in three parts discussing three unthinkable actions that Oswald undertakes in the novel:

Part 1) How does DeLillo dramatize Oswald's suicide attempt in Moscow? Discuss what leads up to this self-destructive act and whether Oswald seems committed to his own negation. What is going through Oswald's head as he cuts his wrists? What is relatable about these passages?

Part 2) How does Don DeLillo introduce domestic violence into the novel? Discuss how the author portrays the protagonist's mindset as he begins beating Marina. Why does he begin striking her? Can the reader understand his rationale.

Part 3) Discuss Lee Oswald's perception of the assassination as he plays his active role in it. Compare it to the reactions of those on the street. At what point does he acknowledge what he has done? Does she ever fully accept his culpability?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,116 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample