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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. Between which two stages of the killing process is a murder-suicide fluctuating, as described in Chapter 2?

2. What story does Grossman end Chapter 4 with?

3. By 1971, what percentage of evacuations from Vietnam was related to psychiatric problems?

4. To what presidency does Grossman apply the killing process in Chapter 2?

5. What animal was used in Skinner's conditioning experiment?

Short Essay Questions

1. What examples from Chapter 6 illustrate a problematic relationship with women in the military?

2. What separates a natural warrior from a psychopath?

3. In Chapter 2, what does Grossman say an atrocity does to a combat unit's group dynamic?

4. According to Grossman, why do young people idolize entertainment figures more than police and politicians?

5. What warning about video games does Grossman make at the end of Chapter 3?

6. What evidence does Grossman provide that violence among youth has increased dramatically since the 1950s?

7. What are the three categories of atrocity as delineated in Chapter 1?

8. What factors does Grossman say are contributing to youth violence in Chapter 1?

9. How does Grossman explain murder-suicide in terms of the killing process in Chapter 2?

10. Describe the strange dichotomy between nudity and killing in Western culture?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the first section of ON KILLING, the author argues that the soldier has more options on a battlefield than simply fight or flight. In an essay, discuss these options and particularly the most common one taken: posture. Firstly, why is fight-or-flight not a legitimate choice in a fight between two humans? What other two options are open to humans in this case? What makes posturing such an attractive option, and how has the development of firearms only improved a soldier's ability to posture?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay about the root causes and addressing of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the American military? What step of the killing process is interrupted, leading to PTSD, and what factors are involved in this stunting of emotional processing? How does PTSD manifest itself? In what conflict did numbers of soldiers suffering from PTSD skyrocket? How long did it take the American military to address this concern, and what has been done?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay about the urge not to kill over the course of history. What evidence does Grossman provide that soldiers going back to the American Civil War have chosen not to kill even in the face of death by enemy fire? What tactics did these soldiers use to avoid killing? At what point in the history of the American military did the non-firing problem become readily apparent? How did the military react to this?

(see the answer keys)

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