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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. When he is allowed a special privilege by the leader, what does he find himself doing for the first time in three years?
(a) Laughing.
(b) Thinking about his mother.
(c) Hoping he'll live a long life.
(d) Regretting his poor treatment of Siv when they first met.

2. When the Little Fish receive automatic rifles, a tragedy happens. What is it?
(a) Arn shoots another boy from the dance group accidentally.
(b) Sombo leaves the group in disgust, saying the kids are being made to commit suicide.
(c) One of the boys from the dance group shoots himself accidentally.
(d) One of the boys from the dance group shoots Sombo accidentally.

3. The author uses the occasion of Arn's transition into the role of soldier to refer back to events at the start of the novel. What are those events and what triggers them in Arn's thoughts?
(a) He straps a gun and ammunition to his chest and it reminds him of playing soldiers with his little brother Munny, just as they did after the movie so long ago.
(b) He looks up into the sky and hears the rat-a-tat-tat of artillery, which makes him think of the sound his cheap vendor bell used to make as he sold from his cart.
(c) He remembers a prayer and recites it out loud, causing him to think about the monk teacher whom he used to bribe so he could skip school to sell his wares.
(d) He feels a sense of power from being armed and likens it to the feeling he used to get from earning his own money and having the power to buy things other kids couldn't.

4. Where does Mr. Pond end up taking Sojeat, Ravi, and Arn when he asks them to climb in the trunk of his car?
(a) To an American building with food and music.
(b) To a Thai bistro.
(c) To the home of the leader with the white shorts.
(d) To Peter's mother's house.

5. Once Sombo's group dwindles to a number of only seven kids, plus Sombo and Koong, they become so tired that they drop most of what they have been carrying. What are the two things they continue to carry?
(a) Guns and bullets.
(b) Extra socks and underwear.
(c) Water and food.
(d) Cooking pots and kindling.

6. When the group comes upon a little hidden village and the men beg Sombo and the boys not to hurt them, what does one of the men offer Sombo as a gift?
(a) A sweet potato.
(b) A bottle of Coca-Cola.
(c) A drink of fresh water.
(d) A banyan tree fruit.

7. What instructions does Arn's sister give him when he is able to sneak out to see her in the night?
(a) She tells him to listen to Sombo and to practice the art of war continually so that he may stay alive.
(b) She tells him to run away and to meet her at the mountain camp where two of their other sisters are living.
(c) She tells him to ask Sombo if she can join their group as their new rice girl.
(d) She tells him not to be too brave and to hide from the bullets so she can see him again.

8. What happens the first time Arn plays volleyball?
(a) He runs into another kid, bloodying both of their noses.
(b) He tucks into a crouch when the ball falls from the sky toward him.
(c) He spikes the ball over the net and scores a point for his team.
(d) He sprains his ankle diving for the ball.

9. When the Vietnamese soldiers kill everyone in the village by drawing them out with offers of free rice, why does Arn look at each dead person's face as he walks through the village?
(a) He is looking for any member of his family.
(b) He doesn't know why he wants to look at their faces, but he does.
(c) He wants to count how many males they killed versus how many males they killed.
(d) He wants to see what expressions they had on their faces when they died.

10. Why does Sombo get mad when he sees Arn dragging his gun behind him due to its great weight?
(a) He says that the gun is Arn's life and that if he loses it, it's like giving the gun to his enemy.
(b) He says that dragging it on the ground could allow water to get into it and cause the gun to misfire when Arn needs it.
(c) He says that a lack of respect for one's gun shows a lack of respect for oneself.
(d) He says if it knocks against the ground, it could accidentally go off and kill someone.

11. At one point, Arn becomes so hungry and thirsty and eats fruit off the ground even though there is something wrong with it. What's wrong with it?
(a) It is not yet ripe.
(b) It is been partially digested by an animal and he finds it in animal excrement.
(c) It is rotten and infested with maggots.
(d) It is been pecked at by many birds.

12. Why does Sombo leave Arn and the other boys to fend for themselves?
(a) He leaves because he knows that if there is one fewer mouth to feed, the boys will be more likely to survive.
(b) He leaves because Koong is sick with a fever and he wants to take him to a Thai hospital.
(c) He leaves because he is fed up with taking care of so many boys.
(d) He leaves because he is mad at Arn for Arn's reaction after he murders the villagers.

13. When his sister kisses Arn's ear, what is NOT something he says the sensation feels like?
(a) Rustling leaves.
(b) Angels.
(c) Heaven.
(d) Butterfly wings.

14. What kind of platoon is Arn's sister traveling with?
(a) A group of children soldiers.
(b) A group of high-ranking Khmer Rouge leaders.
(c) A group of ragtag escapees from other platoons.
(d) A group of all female soldiers.

15. Though at first Arn is furious with Mr. Pond for taking chances that lead to him being shot by a Thai guard, Mr. Pond then reveals news that makes Arn ecstatic. What is that news?
(a) He says he has won the Thai lottery and that he will spend the money helping Arn find his family.
(b) He says he has done some investigation and is convinced that Arn's little brother Munny is not dead after all.
(c) He says he is taking Arn, Sojeat, and Ravi to America with him.
(d) He says he has found Arn's mother and is bringing her to reunite with Arn.

Short Answer Questions

1. When Arn, Kha, and Siv are allowed to go in the pond to wash, they try to sink to the bottom, partly in order to escape the world above the water. Why can they not sink very far down for very long?

2. What causes Arn's thought that maybe it would be okay if the Vietnamese never come to rescue him and the other captives?

3. The group of child soldiers led by Sombo and referred to as Little Fish with the Big Sting is comprised of how many children?

4. When the radio makes clear that the Vietnamese soldiers really are coming, chaos erupts and many children run away in the melee. Sombo asks Arn why he doesn't run away to find his family. Why does Arn not run away?

5. What happens to cause Arn to say that now "even the earth is our enemy" (126)?

(see the answer keys)

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