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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 is done to Helen when she is stopped?

2. How do Darrow, Gary and Linh feel about Helen when they meet her?

3. What does Darrow call Helen when he meets her?

4. What does Helen hear when she wakes that morning?

5. How does Darrow get the Lieutenant to do what Darrow wants?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens and who does Helen meet the first time she goes into the field with Darrow?

2. How does Helen survive in Saigon without Darrow?

3. How does Helen feel about her relationship with Darrow and how does Darrow feel about it?

4. What is Helen doing in the streets of Saigon when the novel opens and what does she see and do?

5. Why did Helen's brother go to Vietnam?

6. How does Helen meet Darrow and what happens when she does?

7. What have Helen and Linh been doing for three years and why?

8. What happens in the evening of Helen's first trip into the field?

9. How does Linh feel when he sees a picture of Helen and Darrow and why does he feel that way? What does he think about the picture?

10. What was Linh's life like before he was drafted into the army?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Helen collapses when she learns that Darrow is MIA. Everyone knows that MIA means dead. They simply have not found the body. It is Gary and Linh that break the news. Already Linh is taking care of Helen. The trek out to find the helicopter is not wise but it is something that Helen and Linh both feel is necessary. Near death experiences bring Helen and Linh even closer together. After their last experience with the boy soldier, Helen decides that it is time to go back to California.

Returning to California is a strange experience. Helen is numb with grief - grief for Darrow, for herself, and for Vietnam. Although everything in California has stayed the same, Helen has changed beyond measure. Charlotte does not know what to do to help her daughter.

1. Discuss, in depth, Helen's behavior immediately following Darrow's death in relation to her ambivalent feelings towards him. Use examples from your own life and the book to support your reasoning.

2. Why do you think Linh and Helen's near death experiences in the field draw them closer together? Do you think this would happen to any two people? Why or why not? Use examples from your own life and the book to support your reasoning.

3. Discuss the changes you think have occurred in Helen from her experience in Vietnam. Use examples from your own life and the book to support your reasoning.

4. What are some ways in which you believe Charlotte might be able to help her daughter? Use examples from your own life and the book to support your reasoning.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the following:

1. What is a plot? What are the most important elements of a plot and their definition? Do all novels have a plot? Why or why not?

2. Write a brief synopsis of the plot of The Lotus Eaters, identifying where the various elements of the plot occur (Exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution or denouement). Do you find it difficult to identify the plot? Why or why not? What about the various elements of the plot?

3. Identify the major sub-plots and their elements in The Lotus Eaters. (The subplots may not contain every element of a major plot). Do the sub-plots add to the main plot? Why or why not. Are the sub-plots interesting in and of themselves? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the following:

1. Who is/are the protagonists of the story and why?

2. Who is/are the antagonists of the story and why?

3. Which 3 secondary characters have the greatest impact on the plot?

4. Are any of the characters dispensable and which ones? Why or why not?

5. Do you think this is a character-driven plot or an action-driven plot? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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