View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Arn hallucinates, seeing a rabbit as large as he is and this illusion seems to lead the way to Thailand. What color is the rabbit he hallucinates?

2. 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?

3. The leader with the white shorts orders Arn to come entertain his guests at a party he is throwing at his house. For how many days does the party last?

4. Why does Sombo get mad when he sees Arn dragging his gun behind him due to its great weight?

5. What sets Arn apart from the rest of the group and causes his fame to grow by the day?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

2. 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?

3. Why do Arn, Siv, and Kha kick dirt over their excrement after they eat the sweet potato Arn brings back from the leader's house?

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

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

6. 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?

7. How does the white rabbit enter the narrative of the story and what is its significance?

8. 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?

9. 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?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the significance of the novel's title and of the repeated references to it throughout the novel. What is the author's purpose in including the theme of "never falling down," both in the title and throughout the narrative of the novel?

Essay Topic 2

The theme of power is one that comes up over and over within the novel's narrative, particularly in relation to Arn's feelings of powerlessness and realizations about power he does indeed hold. Choose three instances when Arn realizes that he does, indeed, carry power, even within his dire situation. Discuss how these realizations help to shape the author's message regarding power.

Essay Topic 3

Arn often refers to the subject of fame at different points within the novel. Trace these mentions, explain each instance's circumstances, and discuss the overall message the author sends about the subject of fame.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 2,033 words (approx. 7 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample