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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 does Phuong taunt Kien about becoming?

2. What does the letter urge him to do?

3. Why does Kien write in the post war period?

4. How are Kien and Phuong separated the very next day?

5. What stops this from happening?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was Phuong forced to become?

2. What musical instrument did Phuong play as a child, which indicates to Kien that she is a troubled soul?

3. What do the characters of Tu and Cam have in common?

4. What happens to the train that Kien and Phuong eventually catch so that he can return to his unit?

5. Why does Kien refuse to sleep with Phuong before the war?

6. Describe Kien's parents

7. At what bar does Kien meet the young prostitute and other ex-soldiers from the war?

8. Why was it lucky that Phuong and Kien missed the train just as war started?

9. How many times does Phuong's memories come back to Kien during the war?

10. Why is Kien ridiculed by his fellows in the post war period?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Is the Vietnam War a character in the story? Explain your reasoning.

Essay Topic 2

What is meant by the term writing style? What is the author’s writing style in this novel? How might the reader be impacted by the author’s style?

Essay Topic 3

Kien, the North Vietnamese, and the South Vietnamese are all victims of this war. Do you agree or disagree? Support your reasoning with the text of the novel.

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