View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. The soldiers in the trenches are subject to the commands of who?

2. A rumor of most wars concerns _____.

3. The British had failed to do what by Christmas 1915?

4. What did the British commander think the 1916 battle against Germany would do?

5. By mid-December 1914, British troops had been fighting on the Continent for how long?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did various authors bring in the topic of the sunrise and sunset in reference to the war?

2. Describe Haig's command at the Battle of Somme in March 1918?

3. What three things happened in November 1918 when the Allies broke through the German lines with their counterattack?

4. What is meant by the statement that the Great War is the most hideous and the most ironic?

5. Explain some of the rumors about farmers during wartime.

6. Rumors of most wars concern deserters. What do these rumors say?

7. What was the British's army biggest problem?

8. What is the title of the third and final volume of the trilogy by Siegfried Sassoon, and what is the third volume about?

9. What has happened to the area by the Somme River where a fierce battle in the war took place?

10. Fussell uses and quotes Thomas Hardy. Fussell begins by quoting a Thomas Hardy poem. Why does Fussell quote Hardy about the war?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Gardens are beautiful. Where have gardens always been an important factor? Why have gardens always been important here? Wilfred Owen's "Exposure" is one example of gardens and flowers. What is "Exposure" about? Name three other authors and their works that talk about gardens and explain how these works can be associated with war literature.

Essay Topic 2

The British came into the Great War not having been in a war in about one hundred years. As a result, the British came into battle with assumptions. What assumptions did the British bring into the war? Were they valid assumptions? Why or why not? Did these assumptions help or hinder the British in the war? Give examples to support your answer. If the British enter another war, would it be smart to bring assumptions about previous war experiences into battle with them? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Fussell chooses many writers to help give examples. Pick one poet and one other writer Fussell mentions in wartime literature. Once the poet and writer have been chosen, write a biography on each of these writers, focusing on why they chose to write in the manner they did and why they chose their subject(s).

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 838 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample