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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 was new about the enemy composition in Vietnam as opposed to previous wars?

2. What percentage of the population qualifies as a natural warrior?

3. In the anecdote of Chapter 5, what consequence does the German soldier who refuses to take part in an atrocity face?

4. Which of the following theorists presents evidence concerning tactical attractiveness of a victim?

5. In World War II, only 15-20 percent of riflemen made it past which stage of killing?

Short Essay Questions

1. What hypothetical situation does Grossman relate in Chapter 3?

2. What factors traditionally assist in rationalization and acceptance after combat?

3. What solution did the American military devise to deal with low firing rates in World War II?

4. What changes have occurred in recent years to mitigate the psychiatric casualties of Vietnam?

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

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

7. How did John Foster rationalize killing a VC in Chapter 1?

8. What surprising insight into Vietnam does RB Anderson make in Chapter 1?

9. What factors contribute to a soldier's decision to commit an atrocity?

10. How does Grossman apply the killing process to the national mood in Chapter 2?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Early in the book, Grossman admits that he does not think women should work if they have children. Later in the text, he presents arguments that women do more damage in combat than good. Write an essay exploring the author's attitude toward women. What reasons does he cite for women to be left out of combat service? Are these arguments related tot heir abilities in there arena? Are then, in fact, judgments about male soldiers that fight with them? Do these arguments seem to be colored by Grossman's prejudices?

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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