View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. At what time of day does the story begin?

2. The name of the street gives the reader what important piece of information?

3. In order to fool his enemy, what does the sniper lift over the parapet?

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

5. What is the first physical sensation the sniper feels in the place where he has been shot?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. How does the sniper fool his enemy?

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

6. 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?

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

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

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

10. How does the sniper react to being shot?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the last line of the story "The Sniper." Be sure to include a discussion of the layers of meaning in the word "brother" and to explain how this line impacts the overall meaning of the story.

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the paradox in the story's description of the sniper's appearance.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 759 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample