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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. The description of the car "panting" (96) suggests what about the situation?

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

3. Where does the sniper get shot?

4. The conflicting descriptions of the sniper that make him sound both young and mature are an example of what technique?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. What problem is created by the sniper's wound?

2. Who is the protagonist of "The Sniper" and what is he fighting for?

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

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

5. How does the sniper react to being shot?

6. When the reader first encounters the sniper, what is he doing, and why?

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the most reasonable explanation of the sniper's choice to light the cigarette that gives away his position? Provide textual evidence for your claim.

Essay Topic 2

Whiskey is sometimes disparagingly referred to as "Irish Courage." Justify the presence of the detail of the whiskey in "The Sniper," where space is at such a premium.

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the use of the River Liffey as a symbol in "The Sniper." Describe how it appears in the story, background information on the river, and how these two elements combine to create meaning.

(see the answer keys)

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