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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. 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 Peter's mother's house.
(b) To the home of the leader with the white shorts.
(c) To an American building with food and music.
(d) To a Thai bistro.

2. 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?
(a) He now feels so far removed from his biological family that his friends seem much more important to stay close to in this world.
(b) He is afraid that the Khmer Rouge will recognize him due to his fame and shoot him for the traitor they will consider him to be.
(c) He is afraid the soldiers in the next camp will kill his little sister Sophea if he runs away.
(d) He realizes that he has no idea why he does not run away; the thought has just never occurred to him.

3. After the first battle when the Little Fish are used by the adult soldiers as bait for the Vietnamese, how many of the original number of boys are left?
(a) 5.
(b) 3.
(c) 6.
(d) 8.

4. 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 pecked at by many birds.
(c) It is been partially digested by an animal and he finds it in animal excrement.
(d) It is rotten and infested with maggots.

5. The second time Arn joins the volleyball game, he plays skillfully and everyone claps. Why does he do so well at the game this time around?
(a) Because he has conditioned himself to control his fear of flying objects.
(b) Because he has been practicing all day every day and has even been sneaking out at night to practice.
(c) Because he has replaced the regular volleyball with a rubber ball that is easier to maneuver.
(d) Because he has asked Sojeat and Ravi ahead of time to set up some good plays for him to build from.

6. 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?
(a) Because they might get disoriented and drown.
(b) Because their stomachs are empty.
(c) Because there are poisonous snakes that lurk at the bottom of the pond.
(d) Because the soldiers won't let them.

7. What causes Arn's thought that maybe it would be okay if the Vietnamese never come to rescue him and the other captives?
(a) He has finally been given some semblance of normalcy back in the form of fairly regular deep sleep on a comfortable bed.
(b) He feels content within the close relationships he has with Siv, Kha, Mek, and Sombo.
(c) He is fed enough that his stomach rarely is in pain like it used to be constantly.
(d) He has given up on ever reuniting with his family again.

8. When Arn asks a nurse what month and year it is, she replies that it's March 1979. He then figures out he has been away from home for how long in total?
(a) Five years.
(b) Three years.
(c) Seven years.
(d) Four years.

9. When Arn becomes delirious with hunger, he sees the monkey family and then his own family and they chant words to him over and over. What are those words he hears them chant?
(a) "Peace be with you."
(b) "Come for us soon."
(c) "See you again."
(d) "Why didn't you save us."

10. What is the news being reported on the radio when Sombo quickly turns it off to prevent Arn from hearing?
(a) The rice fields in Cambodia are full of the joyful voices of peasants working in the fields.
(b) Vietnamese soldiers are coming across the border to take over Cambodia by fighting the Khmer Rouge.
(c) Everyone in Cambodia is fleeing to Thailand to escape the Khmer Rouge.
(d) The Khmer Rouge have taken over every major city and every small village in Cambodia.

11. What does the hospital look like where Arn arrives when he gets off the bus?
(a) It is a tent with open sides.
(b) It is a brick building that looks like a prison.
(c) It is a big stucco building with lots of windows.
(d) It is a mud hut with a thatched roof.

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

13. What happens the first time Arn and and another Little Fish go to drop grenades into the tanks of the Vietnamese soldiers?
(a) The other boy gets scared and doesn't join Arn in climbing onto the tank, but Arn fulfills the mission.
(b) Arn gets scared and doesn't climb onto the tank and the other boy gets hurt as a result.
(c) Arn and the other boy are both successful and feel very proud of their accomplishment.
(d) Arn is successful at the mission but the other boy's foot is blown off.

14. What does Arn do when the pretty woman with the long braid begs Arn to shoot her?
(a) He drags her into a hut to hide from the other soldiers.
(b) He gives her some of his food.
(c) He shoots her.
(d) He tells her everything will be alright.

15. What new job does the child leader give the Little Fish so that they can prove their loyalty to Angka?
(a) They must fetch the water for every soldier in the camp for one week without drinking any of it themselves.
(b) They must climb onto the tanks of the Vietnamese army and drop grenades inside.
(c) They must leap from the trenches they have dug and draw enemy fire.
(d) They must cook all of the food for every soldier in the camp for one week without eating anything themselves.

Short Answer Questions

1. Mek and Arn differ in their assessment of what their parting means. What are their two separate feelings about their separation?

2. What is the name of the only other boy at the Children's Center who was formerly a child soldier besides Arn?

3. Why does Sombo leave Arn and the other boys to fend for themselves?

4. What creatures does the author depict fleeing from the sounds of war in order to underscore the theme of the unnatural?

5. What two factions are represented by the radio stations they listen to on Sombo's radio?

(see the answer keys)

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