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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What river is near the sniper's position?
(a) The Corrib.
(b) The Shannon.
(c) The Liffey.
(d) The Thames.

2. When he finally gets a clear shot at his enemy, what is the protagonist feeling?
(a) Eagerness.
(b) Anger.
(c) Sorrow.
(d) Fear.

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

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

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What word (or a variation of it) is repeated several times after the sniper is shot?

2. Once he is wounded, what is the sniper's first priority?

3. What finally changes the way that the sniper is feeling?

4. The sniper takes a "draught" (96) of his drink. What is a "draught" in this context?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the wound that the sniper suffers.

2. In the sentence "Almost immediately, a bullet flattened itself against the parapet of the roof," (96), what is being personified and what purpose does the personification of the bullet serve?

3. What is the sniper drinking, and what evidence does the reader have that it is affecting his judgement?

4. What happens as a result of the Republican sniper's ruse?

5. What is the setting of "The Sniper"?

6. What striking contrast is there in the description that opens the story with the description that closes the first paragraph?

7. What motivates the sniper to discover the identity of the dead man, and what is that identity?

8. What causes the sniper to suddenly lose his enthusiasm for the battle?

9. How does the enemy sniper manage to shoot the protagonist?

10. What risk does the sniper take at the beginning of the story, and what are the consequences?

(see the answer keys)

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