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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why does the sniper decide that it is safe to move from the rooftop?
(a) He is very drunk.
(b) The streets immediately around him are quiet.
(c) The enemy sniper was the only serious danger to him.
(d) The battle seems to be over.

2. In the opening of the story, machine guns fire "spasmodically." How are they firing?
(a) Continuously.
(b) In brief bursts with no regular pattern.
(c) Loudly.
(d) With a deep reverberating sound.

3. What is the sniper eating?
(a) A sandwich.
(b) An apple.
(c) Cookies.
(d) Cold stew.

4. What does the sniper do when he realizes that the old woman is an informant?
(a) Shoots and kills her.
(b) Writes down her name to give to his field commander.
(c) Curses her.
(d) Moves his position.

5. "His enemy had been hit" (98) is an example of what technique?
(a) Charged language.
(b) Passive voice.
(c) Parallelism.
(d) Honorific diction.

6. As a result of taking a risk in order to see his dead enemy's body, what happens to the sniper?
(a) He is shot at.
(b) Nothing: he gets away with it.
(c) He sets off a bomb.
(d) He has to kill another civilian.

7. In the context in which it is used in "The Sniper," how is "draught" (96) pronounced?
(a) It rhymes with "taught."
(b) It rhymes with "rocked."
(c) It rhymes with "out."
(d) It rhymes with "raft."

8. What does the sniper take a risk to do after he finishes eating?
(a) Smoke.
(b) Sleep.
(c) Talk to another soldier.
(d) Reload his gun.

9. The sniper takes a "draught" (96) of his drink. What is a "draught" in this context?
(a) A British measure.
(b) A deep sniff.
(c) A large swallow.
(d) A small sip.

10. The conflicting descriptions of the sniper that make him sound both young and mature are an example of what technique?
(a) Allusion.
(b) Oxymoron.
(c) Paradox.
(d) Personification.

11. The sniper's face is described as "ascetic" (96). What does this imply about the sniper?
(a) He is able to discipline himself and sacrifice for his beliefs.
(b) He is not fully aware of the damage that the war will do.
(c) He has conflicting emotions about the act of killing.
(d) He does not have the same ability to empathize as most people do.

12. What is the source of the sniper's respect for his fallen enemy?
(a) His religious respect for life.
(b) He can tell that his enemy was also a soldier.
(c) The man was a good shot.
(d) He is a fellow Irishman.

13. What is the only description given of the old woman?
(a) She has a thin smile.
(b) Her head is covered in an old shawl.
(c) She walks very slowly.
(d) Her dress looks like it is brand new.

14. What is the risk that the sniper takes in order to check out his dead enemy's identity?
(a) He knows that the street may be mined.
(b) The body is in the opposite direction from his route back to his commander.
(c) He crosses the street.
(d) He has to pass by a group of civilians.

15. What can readers infer about the sniper's revolver?
(a) It is not intended for long-distance shooting.
(b) It is an unreliable weapon.
(c) It is almost empty of ammunition.
(d) It has fallen into a tricky spot.

Short Answer Questions

1. Toward the end of the story, the sniper feels "remorse" (98). What is he feeling?

2. What complicates the sniper's final shot?

3. In what city does "The Sniper" take place?

4. Why does the protagonist expose his hand by draping it over the parapet?

5. What temporarily interferes with his vision and stops the sniper from seeing the results of his shot?

(see the answer keys)

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