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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Once his enemy has died, the sniper begins to "gibber" (98). What is he doing?
(a) Clutch at his face and head.
(b) Speak rapid nonsense.
(c) Pace back and forth.
(d) Weep.

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

3. Why does the protagonist expose his hand by draping it over the parapet?
(a) He is unaware that he has done so.
(b) He needs to risk it in order to get his gun.
(c) To show a white flag.
(d) To make it look like he has been shot.

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

5. How are the sniper's eyes described?
(a) Intelligent and kind.
(b) Cold and fanatical.
(c) Confused and frightened.
(d) Angry and eager.

6. Where does the sniper think that he might know his enemy from?
(a) He has suddenly realized that the man might be on the Republican side.
(b) He thinks that they may have gone to school together.
(c) He is beginning to suspect that the dead sniper is his brother.
(d) He thinks it is possible that they served together in the same unit of the army.

7. Who wrote "The Sniper"?
(a) Patrick O'Flaherty.
(b) Liam O'Flaherty.
(c) Liam O'Connell.
(d) Patrick O'Connell.

8. Why is the sniper eating?
(a) He has been too busy until now.
(b) Another soldier has just brought him food.
(c) He just remembered that he should.
(d) He was too excited to eat earlier.

9. Where does the sniper get shot?
(a) In his side.
(b) In his hand.
(c) In his arm.
(d) In his leg.

10. In his distress, what does the sniper do with his revolver?
(a) Throws it down onto the rooftop.
(b) Shoots wildly with no clear target.
(c) Shoots his enemy's body a second time.
(d) Aims it at his own head.

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

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

13. How does the enemy sniper respond to the protagonist's ruse?
(a) He surrenders.
(b) He shoots.
(c) He drops his rifle.
(d) He yells something at the protagonist.

14. On the rooftop where the sniper is lying, there is a parapet. What is a parapet?
(a) A stairwell.
(b) A low wall at the edge of the roof.
(c) A chimney.
(d) An enclosed opening to the floor below.

15. After he is wounded, the sniper feels a "paroxysm" of pain. What kind of pain is he feeling?
(a) Creeping and throbbing.
(b) Mild but bothersome.
(c) Gradually easing.
(d) Sudden and violent.

Short Answer Questions

1. What can readers infer about the sniper's revolver?

2. What is the risk that the sniper takes in order to check out his dead enemy's identity?

3. What bridge is near the sniper's position?

4. At the end of the story, the reader learns that the story has been taking place on the corner of what street?

5. What does the sniper do when he realizes that his enemy is dead?

(see the answer keys)

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