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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. Goldstein thinks about opening a business with his wife. What type of business does he want to open?

2. Who does Stanley begin to lose respect for after his promotion?

3. While some of the men are on the beach preparing their sleeping areas and fox holes, what does Stanley do to irritate Ridges?

4. There is some question of who let the gun go as the men were pushing it through the Jungle. Who does Croft suspect is responsible?

5. In the beginning of Part 2, Chapter 3, what is Conn complaining about in the officer's mess hall?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Mailer accomplish in the first chapter in terms of mood and characters?

2. Polack and Minetta discuss wearing dirty clothes. What are each man's thoughts on this?

3. How is Wilson described in chapter 1?

4. What are Croft's feelings aboutHearn joining the platoon?

5. When the men run into a snake, Wilson seems to be talking about swimming and a boat. But Brown recognizes Wilson is remembering what?

6. What does the descriptive text imply about the tone of the opening scene of chapter 1?

7. What is Hearn's punishment, so to speak, for questioning Cummings's division of the food?

8. Describe Croft's recurring nightmare.

9. Why are the officers upset about the food they receive in the Army?

10. What is the general mood on board of the ship as the men leave the island?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Mailer uses the literary technique often throughout this book. Describe what a flashback is and why it is used in literature.

1) How does Mailer use the writing technique?

2) What is the significance of the flashbacks in this novel?

3) Do you think the flashbacks enhanced the story, why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Roth and Goldstein have a substantial conversation on the beach, and Roth feels they are becoming friends. Would these two characters be friends if they had met outside of the Army? Explain your reasoning with evidence using the characters background, education, personality, and thoughts reveled throughout the book.

Essay Topic 3

Choose one topic to discuss. Be sure to include the name of the characters(s) you choose. The basic situation that led to the conflict. Describe the conflict from both sides. Discuss the end result of the conflict. Discuss how the character(s) was changed after the conflict.

1) Conflict between two or more men in the story.

2) Conflict between a man and his environment.

3) Conflict between a man and himself.

(see the answer keys)

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