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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. Fowler translates for Phuong that Pyle loves her and wants to marry her. What is Phuong's response?

2. Fowler, who is British, has developed what feeling about Vietnam?

3. What does Fowler tell Pyle to do so that the girls will stop mobbing him?

4. Who surprises Fowler by showing up during the march out of Phat Diem?

5. How does Pyle tell Fowler he got to Phat Diem?

Short Essay Questions

1. At the press conference, what is the French colonel's response to the question of French casualties?

2. Why does it take Fowler three weeks to get back to Saigon?

3. What signifies a difference in dress between the South and the North of Vietnam?

4. Incredibly, what does Pyle ask Fowler to do?

5. When Granger pins the colonel down on the fact that supplies have not arrived for the army at the front, what happens?

6. What news does Bill Granger offer about the war in the North when the Economic Attache asks?

7. Tell of Alden Pyle's fascination with York Harding.

8. The morning after Pyle's murder, what is Phuong's concern?

9. In a flashback, describe how Pyle meets Fowler and Phuong.

10. What information does Phuong give Fowler?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Pyle was idealistic and inexperienced. Write a paper expressing your opinion about the dangers of such a combination in someone who has the power to do great harm. In your paper, use the naivete of Pyle as he overlooks the sarcasm and below the surface animosity of Fowler in the battle over Phuong. He seems to be a person who expects everyone to tell the truth all the time. Compare how upset he is with Fowler's lies and his belief that General The would not have exploded the bomb knowing that the parade had been canceled.

Essay Topic 2

Young idealistic men often think of war as something glamorous. Using the descriptions in the book, write a paper about the horrors of war. To do this, use the description of the massacre at Phat Diem, the bomb explosion in Saigon, the ignoble assassination of Pyle, and Trouin's description of the use of napalm. Pyle comes to Vietnam, ignores the advice and observations of men who have been there for years, and idolizes York Harding. Show how this makes him idealistic and sure that he is invulnerable.

Essay Topic 3

In Asian culture, younger siblings are expected to follow the wishes of their elders. Write a paper about Miss Hei's involvement in having Phuong move in with Pyle. Discuss how the question of Fowler's age was never a consideration. Miss Hei is acting as a matchmaker on behalf of her sister and her primary consideration is financial security. With what you know about Fowler and Pyle, all things being equal, is one better able to provide for Phuong than the other? Explain your answer in depth.

(see the answer keys)

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