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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 outnumbers the people at the next duty assignment?

2. How do Charlie and Thomas sleep at their new assignment?

3. Once Thomas is back from leave, how far does the wave of advancing Germans get when the shelling stops?

4. What happens when a German comes out from behind a curtain?

5. What happens when the Germans go into retreat?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Thomas react to Molly's being married to Charlie?

2. What is the front line like?

3. Why is Molly at Charlie and Thomas' house one day when they return from work and what has she brought with her?

4. How does Thomas experience some of the gas and what happens when a German soldier sees Thomas?

5. What news does Molly announce and how does Charlie respond?

6. How do Charlie and Thomas convince the Army that Thomas is old enough to join?

7. What happens when they encounter a German soldier in the German trenches?

8. What does the Colonel demand and how does he threaten Charlie's family?

9. What does Thomas wait for for a night and day and what is the outcome?

10. What happens to Charlie when they return to their own lines?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Private Peaceful belongs to the war novel genre. Discuss the following:

1. Define the literary term "genre" and give several examples of three other genres in addition to the war novel genre.

2. Discuss two reasons why it might be useful to label a text by genre and two reasons it might be disadvantageous to label a text by genre.

3. What do you think is the difference between a war novel and a historical novel or a mystery?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the following:

1. What do you think are the characteristics of a successful novel?

2. Analyze and discuss Private Peaceful based upon the criteria you decide upon in #1 and judge if Private Peaceful is a successful novel.

3. Do you think the criteria for a successful novel should be different if it is written for adults versus young adults? Why or why not? Would most adults consider Private Peaceful a successful novel? What about young teens?

Essay Topic 3

The men and officer of the firing squad do not want to kill Charlie, but they know their orders. After Charlie's death, everyone mourns him. Thomas is glad to find that Sergeant Hanley was killed, but his happiness is short lived. That horrible man has finally gotten what they all felt that he deserved, but Thomas is upset that it came too late to save Charlie. He hopes that Charlie knows that Hanley is dead, as it might give him a slight comfort. After saying good bye to his brother for the last time, Thomas feels as if a part of him has died with Charlie.

1. Do you think the men in the firing squad should have obeyed the order to kill Charlie? Why or why not? Use examples from your own life and Private Peaceful to support your answer.

2. Do you think Hanley being killed was a just exchange for the sergeant basically being responsible for Charlie's death? Why or why not? Use examples from your own life and Private Peaceful to support your answer.

3. What do you think is the difference between socialization in the early 1900s and the present time that a soldier would be shot and killed for disobeying a dangerous and stupid order? Use examples from your own life and Private Peaceful to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,082 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample