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

2. What does the sniper take a risk to do after he finishes eating?

3. "His enemy had been hit" (98) is an example of what technique?

4. The narrator says that the sniper can hear the "dull panting" (96) of the enemy armored car. This is an example of which technique?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. 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?

4. How does the sniper react to being shot?

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

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

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

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

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

10. Describe the wound that the sniper suffers.

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

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.

Essay Topic 3

Explain why the ending of "The Sniper" creates dramatic irony.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 645 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample