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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. In Chapter 1, Grossman reveals that the majority of active World War II soldiers did what?
(a) Learned German.
(b) Declined to fire their weapons.
(c) Self-harm.
(d) Released prisoners-of-war.

2. Which of the following is not an option for a soldier in combat that Grossman lists in Chapter 1?
(a) Posture.
(b) Suicide.
(c) Fight.
(d) Submit.

3. In the mythology cited at the end of Chapter 7, who is born of the marriage of Aries and Aphrodite?
(a) Harmonia.
(b) Nyx.
(c) Persephone.
(d) Athena.

4. In Chapter 7, what does Grossman cite as a powerful examine of of link between violence and sex in popular culture?
(a) Miami Vice.
(b) Russ Meyer pictures.
(c) Dead teenager slasher films.
(d) Girls-with-guns videos.

5. Which Civil War officer does Grossman quote at the beginning of Chapter 5?
(a) McClellen.
(b) Sherman.
(c) Pickett.
(d) Jackson.

Short Answer Questions

1. In the story at the beginning of Chapter 3, what percentage of soldiers questioned said they were certain they had killed even one enemy in combat?

2. In Chapter 4, the story of the soldier who kills a young enemy and immediately breaks down crying takes place in what country?

3. At the end of Chapter 4, what reason does Grossman give for the increase in firing and killing in recent wars?

4. According to Grossman in Chapter 3, what is the immediate reaction to killing from a soldier?

5. According to Grosman in Chapter 5, why do combatants choose the slash rather than thrust with edged weapons?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the Vietnam story of Chapter 4.

2. What is a crew-served weapon?

3. How is the dissuasive potential of familiarity discussed in Chapter 4?

4. How does the Yale electroshock study connect with Grossman's thesis in Chapter 1?

5. How does Grossman use his distance-guilt corollary to explain the oppression of the poor in Chapter 1?

6. What role does enemy morale play in the choice to kill?

7. In Chapter 4, what philosophical and literary justifications for killing does Grossman cite?

8. As described in Chapter 2, why are snipers given the cold shoulder in the military?

9. At the beginning of the book, what personal prejudices does Grossman admit to?

10. How did mechanical distance change the perception of war in the 1990's?

(see the answer keys)

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