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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 finally changes the way that the sniper is feeling?

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

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

4. Where is the enemy sniper located?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the wound that the sniper suffers.

2. How does the sniper react to being shot?

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

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

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

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

7. What is the symbolic significance of the O'Connell Bridge and the River Liffey?

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

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

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

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 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

Explain the symbolic significance of the sniper's bullet injury and his treatment of it. Be sure to use textual evidence to support your claim.

(see the answer keys)

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