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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 is the sniper drinking?

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

3. What does the sniper do when he realizes that the old woman is an informant?

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

5. What do the Free Staters want?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. How does the sniper react to being shot?

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

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

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

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

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

10. How does the sniper fool his enemy?

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

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

Essay Topic 3

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

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This section contains 717 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample