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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. What is Pavlo wearing when Ardell shouts at him to get up from under the blanket?
(a) His fatigues.
(b) Nothing.
(c) His boots.
(d) His underclothes.

2. What is Pierce doing when Pavlo first meets him?
(a) Jogging.
(b) Doing push-ups.
(c) Swimming.
(d) Studying.

3. In the furnace room after Pierce accuses Pavlo's stories of being lies, what does Pierce ask Pavlo?
(a) Whether he has any pride.
(b) Why he is in the army.
(c) When he's leaving the army.
(d) What he wants to be in ten years.

4. When Ardell suggests that being dead makes Pavlo furious, how does Pavlo respond?
(a) By denying it.
(b) By running out of the room for air.
(c) By crying quietly.
(d) By agreeing with Ardell.

5. Where and when does this story take place?
(a) During the maiden voyage of the Titanic in 1912.
(b) During the Vietnam War in the 1960s.
(c) During The Holocaust in 1940.
(d) During Apartheid in the 1930s.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Pavlo realize after explaining what happened to Ardell?

2. Where do the Corporal and Pavlo meet for the first time?

3. Where does Ardell say he's from?

4. Who does Pierce say he is worried about while he is drunk talking with Pavlo?

5. What is the story about that Pavlo tells Pierce in the furnace room?

Short Essay Questions

1. What can be deduced about Ardell's attitude and actions towards Pavlo in this part?

2. How is it ironic that Pavlo has joined the army in order to find his true, personal identity?

3. How is Pavlo egocentric, almost childish? Explore the ways in which these traits are dramatized.

4. How does the action unfolding in Act 2, Part 4 blur the line between delusion and reality in Pavlo's mind?

5. Using the fragmentary nature of the plot line thus far as a platform, describe the impression it has on the way by which the audience will begin to learn about the main character.

6. Although Kress seems to be convinced that Pavlo is stupid, is this an accurate assumption? Why or why not?

7. Compare and explain the relationship of Pavlo's enthusiasm for killing and what happens to Parham in Act 2, Part 4.

8. In what ways can Pavlo be considered a classic "tragic figure" by the time the audience reaches Act 2, Part 4? Relate him to other well-known tragic figures in literature.

9. In what way does Pavlo try to become "a good soldier"? Explain what seems to get in the way of this endeavor.

10. Theorize on the effect that the two stabbings have on Pavlo in Act 2, Part 3.

(see the answer keys)

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