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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 river is near the sniper's position?

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

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

4. What do the Republicans want?

5. Who wrote "The Sniper"?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

7. What are the two contrasting descriptions of the sniper given when he is first introduced?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

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

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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