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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. When he is mistaken for a member of the Khmer Rouge by one of their leaders, what is Arn's reaction?
(a) He sits down on the grass and cries.
(b) He vows to get even with this leader someday.
(c) He considers running away from camp.
(d) He yells at the leader, telling him that he is a captive.

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

3. Why does Arn decide he wants to become good at volleyball once he sees this is the most popular game at the Children's Center?
(a) Because he wants to spend his time doing something productive so that he can forget about missing his family.
(b) Because he thinks he'll be good at it since during battles he's had to watch the sky for flying artillery.
(c) Because he sees that whoever is good at the game becomes important in the eyes of the other kids.
(d) Because he used to play it back in his home village and he feels nostalgic about it.

4. Just before the radio's batteries die, what do they hear the voice of Angka saying in the news report?
(a) That victory is near and that the Cambodian army will soon conquer Vietnam.
(b) That all Khmer Rouge soldiers are ordered to flee to Thailand if they can.
(c) That Vietnamese soldiers are no longer to be shot at since they have joined forces with the Khmer Rouge.
(d) That children are no longer allowed to act as soldiers for the cause.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Arn do when the pretty woman with the long braid begs Arn to shoot her?

2. 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?

3. 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?

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?

5. 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?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

2. Once Arn wakes up from being nursed back to health by the three girls in Thailand, how does the motif of sound come into play?

3. What new privileges does Arn receive while acting as the leader's assistant of sorts and what feelings do these new privileges inspire in him?

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

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

6. Why does Arn distrust the radio reports he hears at the hospital?

7. What is the author's purpose in including the two conflicting accounts of the war emanating from Sombo's radio?

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. When Arn determines that he has been away from his home village for two and a half years, how does he reach this conclusion?

10. What is the author's purpose for including Arn's comment that "now even the earth is our enemy"? (126)

(see the answer keys)

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