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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 sniper's face is described as "ascetic" (96). What does this imply about the sniper?

2. How does the enemy sniper respond to the protagonist's ruse?

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

4. What river is near the sniper's position?

5. In what city does "The Sniper" take place?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What motivates the sniper to get himself back under control?

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

4. 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?

5. How does the sniper react to being shot?

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

7. Describe the wound that the sniper suffers.

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

9. How does the sniper fool his enemy?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the symbolic value of the description of setting in the story's opening paragraph.

Essay Topic 2

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

Essay Topic 3

The words "dead" and "deadened" occur repeatedly in the paragraphs about the sniper getting hit with a bullet. Explain the thematic purpose of this repetition.

(see the answer keys)

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