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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. After he returns to his unit, what does Graves get sent to the hospital for?

2. "Death was denoted as going west, going out of it, or going under." Fussell uses these to show examples of _____.

3. What type of world is a soldier's world in the battlefield?

4. What type of bird is associated with dawn?

5. What type of flower is associated with the pastoral?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the two reasons Fussell believes the British soldiers have a flair for theatrics?

2. Explain the relationship between soldier and officer as written about through poems and writings of the time.

3. Describe the way Fussell uses euphemisms to describe various things.

4. How was there a debate on whether the English language was not adequate to deal with war?

5. What is Edmund Blunden's "Undertones of War" about?

6. Describe the two movements that coincided in England at the time the Great War occurred.

7. How are flowers and the color red associated with the pastoral?

8. Explain how the British pre-war class system was the most pronounced in Europe.

9. How are elegies based on the pastoral?

10. How have gardens always been an important factor in English literature and the word pastoral applies to war literature?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

"A rumor of most wars concerns deserters." Who is a deserter? Does one desire to become a deserter? What causes one to be a deserter? How does one become a deserter? Is a deserter only associated with a war or do they exist at other times? What do you think is the true meaning of the quote, "A rumor of most wars concerns deserters?"

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

The sky, sunrises, and sunsets were popular topics during wartime literature. Fussell mentions some examples of wartime literature authors who talk about the sky, sunrises, and sunsets. Who are these authors? In what genre do they write? Match a specific title to the author and genre. What specifically do they refer to in their writing? (skies, sunrises, sunsets) What makes skies, sunrises, and sunsets so symbolic to wartime literature? Give specific examples from the writing.

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