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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. In the final story of Chapter 4, the one in which an American and Viet Cong soldier happen upon each other, who is killed?

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

3. Which of the following is not a sign of psychological trauma discussed in Chapter 1?

4. According to Grossman in Chapter 2, who is often given the cold shoulder in the military?

5. In Chapter 1, Grossman reveals that the majority of active World War II soldiers did what?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What is a crew-served weapon?

4. How did military predictions regarding civilian bombings and psychiatric casualties prove completely wrong in World War II?

5. Describe the metaphor Grossman uses for fortitude in Chapter 6?

6. Why does the Vietnam Vet quoted in Chapter 7 choose to leave the army after six tours?

7. What is the silent conspiracy does Grossman discuss in Chapter 4?

8. What surprising fact regarding soldier's fears in combat is revealed in Chapter 2?

9. As discussed in Chapter 3, what is the emotional advantage of hand grenades?

10. What assertion regarding military psychiatrists does Grossman make at the end of Chapter 8?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Near the end of ON KILLING, Dave Grossman turns his concern from military policy to policy related to the private sector, particularly the entertainment industry. Write an essay in three parts about the recommendations Dave Grossman makes regarding the world of entertainment:

Part 1) What does Dave Grossman have to say about the world of print media? Does he think that it has any effect on the youth of America, one way or another? Based upon this opinion, does Grossman suggest any major alteration to the way it goes about delivering its product?

Part 2) What recommendation does Grossman make regarding the film industry and television? Discuss the dueling concerns that the author acknowledges these industries have and the responsibilities they share. What defense does he offer against shouts that he is censoring art with these recommendations?

Part 3) In summing up his arguments regarding the entertainment industry, why is Grossman confident that these changes will go into effect? Does he think the public will demand them, and why? How does reformation constitute a public emergency in his opinion?

Essay Topic 2

At one point in ON KILLING, Grossman describes the roots of fear and group bonding that can lead to an atrocity like the My Lai massacre. Write a three-part essay on the factors that lead to an atrocity in war, using My Lai as a framing device:

Part 1) How does fear of an unseen enemy make atrocities more likely in war? Discuss the way in which this creates emotional distance between noncombatants and soldiers. How does a catalyzing event, like an attack on the unit, further increase the likelihood of this sort of atrocity?

Part 2) What form of empowerment is felt in an atrocity? Discuss how the active and powerful decision to kill those whom one suspects of complicity in suffering can empower a soldier. What sort of possible catharsis can occur as a result?

Part 3) Discuss the group cohesion that can occur as a result of an atrocity? How does killing unarmed noncombatants bond a group of soldiers together? Conversely, discuss how the decision not to take part in an atrocity becomes dangerous as a result of this cohesion.

Essay Topic 3

The likelihood of a soldier to kill in combat is markedly improved if he feels he is not the only culpable party to the killing. Write an essay about this diluting of guilt. What is group absolution, and what components of a group dynamic make it possible? Why is a soldier comforted by the sense that others around him are also killing? What is a crew-served weapon, and how is it effective in dispersing guilt for killing?

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