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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What do “MPs” refer to in the narrative?
(a) Military Police.
(b) Marked Persons.
(c) Machine Pumps.
(d) Masked Persons.

2. Sergeant Harris is described in Chapter 2 as “a black soldier who had switched to Civil Affairs from” where?
(a) “The Marines.”
(b) “Halfmaster.”
(c) “Quartermaster.”
(d) “The Navy Seals.”

3. The first Gulf War (“Operation Desert Storm”) was waged by a U.N. coalition force of 34 nations against Iraq in response to what?
(a) Iraq’s invasion of Libya.
(b) Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait.
(c) Iraq’s invasion of Iran.
(d) The 9/11 attacks.

4. What does Corporal Kennedy say the line of green objects on the ground are that can be seen as the squad drives across the Iraqi border in Chapter 4?
(a) Body bags.
(b) Luggage.
(c) Flour bags.
(d) Water bags.

5. Who from the Third Squad is described in Chapter 2 as “a really quiet guy… who had worked in a rehabilitation center in civilian life”?
(a) Lopez.
(b) Corbin.
(c) Jackson.
(d) Lieutenant Nelson.

6. What is being used as a makeshift hospital for the wounded Iraqi civilians when the narrator’s squad arrives as backup for the medics in Chapter 5?
(a) A school.
(b) A mosque.
(c) An ambassador’s house.
(d) A café.

7. Who is the driver in the Second Squad in Chapter 2?
(a) Sergeant Harris.
(b) Captain Coles.
(c) Lieutenant Nelson.
(d) Colonel King.

8. Robin describes Jonesy as a guy in his unit from where in the letter in the Prologue?
(a) Mississippi.
(b) Georgia.
(c) Arkansas.
(d) Kansas.

9. What does the narrator say Marla Kennedy found in one of the outhouses in Chapter 6?
(a) A banana spider.
(b) A black widow spider.
(c) A wolf spider.
(d) A camel spider.

10. The narrator describes watching a film about Saddam Hussein in Chapter 2. What people in the film are described as having been gassed?
(a) The Kurds.
(b) The Syrians.
(c) The Sunnis.
(d) The Shiites.

11. What phrase used in Chapter 6 refers to the uncertainty in situational awareness experienced by participants in military operations?
(a) “Fog of war.”
(b) “Haze of fear.”
(c) “Cultural confusion.”
(d) “Lag of time.”

12. What does Corporal Charlie Jones give as his hometown in Chapter 1?
(a) Dix Hills, New York.
(b) Harlem, New York.
(c) Tampa, Florida.
(d) Stone Mountain, Georgia.

13. When Perry’s team arrives at the bombed school in Chapter 6, the troops that are patrolling the area are from where, according to Captain Coles?
(a) France.
(b) Peru.
(c) England.
(d) Italy.

14. The character who introduces herself as Major Spring Sessions says in the opening of Chapter 1, “Gentlemen, ladies, welcome to” what location?
(a) “Qatar by the Sea.”
(b) “Doha by the Sea.”
(c) “Aloha by the Sea.”
(d) “The land of forgiveness.”

15. What is the nickname that Corporal Kennedy calls Private Perry in the novel?
(a) Buddy.
(b) Birdy.
(c) Jonesy.
(d) Jackie.

Short Answer Questions

1. When did the first Gulf War (“Operation Desert Storm”) take place?

2. In his letter in the Prologue, Robin says he is less than a hundred miles from what country’s border?

3. What does “WMD” refer to in the novel?

4. The lines of the song that the narrator thinks of as his squad drives into Iraq are “Check out the real situation / Nation war against nation / When did it all begin? / When will it end?” These lyrics are from a song by whom?

5. What is the name of Edie Law’s oldest daughter, according to the letter from Perry’s mother in Chapter 7?

(see the answer keys)

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