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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. One of the injuries consists of which of the following:

2. One of the men falls ___ feet and stops breathing.

3. Downs decides to take the time off to fly to which location?

4. Who issues a new plan to Downs via radio?

5. The troops move forward making their way through all but which of the following?

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss Downs' opinion of the base camp and area surrounding Pleiku.

2. Discuss Downs' state of mind at this stage of the war. What objections does Downs have about the way the mission is being operated?

3. What are some of Downs' ongoing complaints regarding the ARVN?

4. Explain the near miss experienced by Lt. Downs in the middle of the jungle.

5. What incident takes place involving the seven civilians? What is the attitude of the soldiers on both sides?

6. Where are the American soldiers sent to next?

7. How is the platoon separated? Who are the leaders? What happens shortly after the separation? What is Downs' reaction to the conflict?

8. Explain the scene in which the Alpha Company engages in a large scale battle.

9. Who arrives to assist the soldiers? What happens during the operation?

10. The day after the conflict, there is another ambush. Who is ambushed? The recent events cause the men to have what realization? What is the reaction of the soldiers?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the statistics mentioned in the book. Explore the accuracy of the details. What other details should have been included? Which details may have been more pertinent? What else should have been said about the end of the war? How did the end of the war affect the hundreds of thousands of military personnel and their families? Were there any other wars in recent history that equaled the one in Vietnam?

Essay Topic 2

Write a short story from a point of view similar to Downs' while using a modern setting. How does your story differ? Why did you choose that particular setting? What about your story was similar to Downs' tale? What was the part that provided the most contrast? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

In addition to physical damage and recovery, many soldiers face temporary or permanent psychological damage. Discuss this fact as it applies to the book. Who may have suffered from psychological damage? How did Downs deal with his psychological issues first when he returned stateside and attempted to become a civilian to each incident when he was injured? How did Downs handle it when he was discharged from the military?

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