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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who nurses Arn enough to bring him back to consciousness once he reaches Thailand?
(a) Three boys from Little Fish with Big Sting.
(b) A group of three Thai girls.
(c) Arn's three older sisters.
(d) Siv, Kha, and Mek.

2. 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) Cooking pots and kindling.
(b) Water and food.
(c) Extra socks and underwear.
(d) Guns and bullets.

3. Using the method of time measurement that Arn and the other captives must use, eight harvests means he's been held captive for how long?
(a) 3 years.
(b) 5 years.
(c) 1 1/2 years.
(d) 2 1/2 years.

4. When Sombo takes Arn away from the group, his parting from Kha and Siv is especially hard. What about the separation makes it particularly tough for Arn?
(a) Sombo takes him away without warning, so he does not get to say goodbye to Kha and Siv, who are now like brothers to him.
(b) He has planned to give Kha and Siv his only blanket, but Sombo takes him away before he can do so.
(c) He has grown over time to hate Sombo, so Kha and Siv are the only friends he has left.
(d) He has planned to learn how to play the xylophone from Kha and how to play soccer from Siv, but now it's too late.

5. What is Arn's reaction to seeing his sister again?
(a) It creates in him an inability to kill.
(b) It makes him hate Sombo.
(c) It causes him to want to run away.
(d) It restores in him the will to live.

Short Answer Questions

1. For the first few days in the hospital, Arn is given a certain food to keep him alive. What is that food?

2. What instructions does Arn's sister give him when he is able to sneak out to see her in the night?

3. The American man whom Arn at first calls Jesus Monk, later finding out his name is Mr. Pond, takes pity on Arn and gives him medicine to cure what ailment?

4. As soon as Arn realizes he can see Thailand on the other side of the river, something about it frightens him and makes him want to stop and not go on. What is it about Thailand that frightens him?

5. What is the news being reported on the radio when Sombo quickly turns it off to prevent Arn from hearing?

Short Essay Questions

1. For what reasons does Arn choose Sojeat and Ravi as his two favorites when Mr. Pond asks him for two names?

2. The theme of fame arises once again when the leader with the white shorts notices Arn due to the attention he has gotten for his music and dancing, so he tells Arn to come to his house to entertain at his party. What message is being sent about fame in this scene?

3. When the leader allows Arn to ride his white horse to a neighboring camp to deliver a letter, why does Arn not run away?

4. How is the theme of family shaped and twisted within the narrative when the camp erupts into chaos at the news that the Vietnamese soldiers are close?

5. Describe the parting of Arn and Mek. What is its significance within the course of the narrative?

6. What words does the dying lady in the village spit at Arn and why do her words hurt him so much?

7. When Arn hears the conflicting reports on Sombo's radio, with the Voice of Angka saying that a victory for the Khmer Rouge is imminent and the American station saying that the Vietnamese are in control of the East and are taking more land every day, Arn doesn't know which report to believe. He does, though, hold on to one fact that he hears. What is that fact and why does he choose to keep it in mind?

8. Arn and Missus Gotobed, the headmistress of the Children's Center, become furious with Mr. Pond for his behavior on two separate occasions for two different reasons. How do those reasons differ?

9. After Sombo leaves the group to take Koong to a Thai hospital, the kids all argue about which they should go. Arn goes in the opposite direction and they see, but do not care. What reason does Arn give for their apathy?

10. Conditioning is the automatic response of one's body that happens over a period of time when one is subjected to repeated negative and/or positive reinforcement in order to facilitate a particular response. The soldiers tell Arn and Siv that he has a new job for them, lead them to a temple, make them watch as they murder the elderly prisoners there, and order Arn and Siv to urinate on the bodies of the dead and dying old men. Arn thinks that there is no way he'll be able to comply, but when he looks down, he sees that urine is pouring out of his body onto the dead men's heads. What is the author's purpose in including this incident?

(see the answer keys)

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