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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 city is Leivy from?

2. What does Ace say that Rico has to become an officer?

3. Who is Rico assigned to?

4. Which subject does Rico not like?

5. Who is the commander of the H company?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the OCS.

2. What does Rico overhear Zim and Hendrick saying?

3. Why has no one committed a 9080 in Zim's training before?

4. What are Rasczak's and Jelal's roles aboard the Rodger Young?

5. Why does the army want to punish Dillinger?

6. What does Rico think about during the thirty days mourning?

7. What do the soldiers capture on Planet P?

8. What is the aim of the mission in the final chapter?

9. Describe the Bugs.

10. Why has Rico's father joined the army?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Is Heinlein promoting the use of women in warfare? Why does he not have women fighting on the ground? Do the students agree that women and men are better at different jobs such as piloting and fighting? What kind of reaction do you think Heinlein would have gotten in the fifties in such a book if he had portrayed women as being flogged?

Essay Topic 2

Look at the structure of the novel.

1) How does Heinlein use character and dialogue to drive the narrative?

2) Discuss elements of the narrative structure; exposition, conflict, complication, climax, resolution, and conclusion. Do all the elements make for a logical and linear story? How does the story's structure express the novel's themes?

3) Away from the main character Henderson, examine the way Heinlein uses the other characters in the story. When does he introduce and take them away from the story? What effect does it have on the story?

Essay Topic 3

Compare the characters of Ace and Rico.

1) In what way are their ideas different?

2) What is their relationship to each other?

3) Which one do you think would make the better officer and why?

(see the answer keys)

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