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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 does the sniper drop to the ground?
(a) His field glasses.
(b) His rifle.
(c) His jacket.
(d) His revolver.

2. What is the first physical sensation the sniper feels in the place where he has been shot?
(a) A sharp shock.
(b) Numbness, or absence.
(c) Overwhelming pain.
(d) Warmth.

3. What does the sniper do when he realizes that his enemy is dead?
(a) Vomits.
(b) Drops to his knees.
(c) Cries out joyfully.
(d) Calmly begins packing his things up.

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

5. What do the Free Staters want?
(a) A united Ireland under British rule.
(b) A divided Ireland, one part ruled by Ireland, one part ruled by Britain.
(c) A united Ireland under Irish rule.
(d) A united Ireland under joint rule between the British and the Irish.

Short Answer Questions

1. Once he is wounded, what makes it difficult for the sniper to achieve his goal?

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

3. Why does the sniper not immediately fire on the enemy car?

4. When he finally gets a clear shot at his enemy, what is the protagonist feeling?

5. How does the sniper get off of the rooftop?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Who does the sniper kill while he is still waiting to kill the enemy sniper, and why does he kill them?

3. Describe the wound that the sniper suffers.

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

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

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

7. 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?

8. Who are the Republicans at war with, and what does this opposition believe?

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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