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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 Chapter 2, what is a socially humiliating act regarding modern media?

2. In the beginning of Chapter 4, Grossman says the highest estimate for the number of Vietnam vets with PTSD is what?

3. As described in Chapter 5, natural warriors are able to kill without what?

4. Which stage of the killing process did Eric - who shot a VC soldier while he was urinating - skip,as described in Chapter 2?

5. According to Grossman in Chapter 2, what do POW executions do to an enemy?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. According to Grossman in Chapter 3, what is the difference between military killing training and that provided by video games?

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

6. Describe the strange story of the CIA guard at the end of Chapter 1?

7. In Chapter 6, what factors contribute to a soldier's decision to kill in the chart presented and discussed?

8. What separates a natural warrior from a psychopath?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Near the end of the book, Grossman illustrates the hardship faced by Vietnam veterans with a hypothetical return home from the war. Write an essay analyzing this hypothetical. Which types of soldiers are represented in the scenario, and what other war veterans are they compared to? How are these two wars different from one another? Why is the Vietnam experience so much more conducive to PTSD?

Essay Topic 2

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 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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