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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. What happens the first time Arn shoots his gun?

2. When he is mistaken for a member of the Khmer Rouge by one of their leaders, what is Arn's reaction?

3. When Arn finds Sophea lying motionless, he considers killing her to save her from rape, from murder at another's hands, or from being eaten by wild animals. He doesn't, instead choosing to take what action?

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

5. Why does Sombo return to the hidden village to kill everyone who lives there?

Short Essay Questions

1. When the Khmer Rouge put Arn and 19 other boys into a platoon they call Little Fish with the Big Sting, what thought of Arn's acts as foreshadowing for the coming carnage?

2. Why does Arn begin to shake after he boards the bus with the other refugees?

3. 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?

4. 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?

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

6. At the start of his stay in the hospital, how does the author demonstrate that Arn has contracted Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder from his time under the rule of the Khmer Rouge?

7. 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?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Desensitization is a coping mechanism Arn uses often in order to retain his sanity in the midst of the horrors all around him. Describe and analyze three of these instances and use them to explain how the author uses them to help the reader keep rooting for Arn even though at times he commits atrocities that in normal circumstances would seem unforgivable.

Essay Topic 2

The first mention of revolution in the novel occurs on page 24 when a Khmer Rouge soldier mentions it and Arn tells the reader he has not heard the word before. There are many different types of revolution, including social revolutions and personal revolutions. Compare and contrast the revolution undertaken by the Khmer Rouge with the personal revolution Arn experiences by the end of the novel.

Essay Topic 3

Though the reader may expect that once Arn gets to America, his life will be perfect, the author instead chooses to show the significant difficulties Arn experiences upon his arrival. Explain what these difficulties are and ultimately, explain why the author chose to include them within the narrative.

(see the answer keys)

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