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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. Where do the narrator and Bon go to see Lana sing in Chapter 14?

2. What phrase does the narrator describe as Ho Chi Minh's "empty suit" in Chapter 23?

3. Where does the commandant describe being held prisoner in Chapter 19?

4. What color beret does the General wear in Chapter 13?

5. What is contained on the jar on the commandant's desk?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is symbolized in the narrator's dream about the kapok tree in Chapter 13?

2. What is significant about the newspaper article "Move On, War Over"?

3. How is the theme of betrayal explored in Chapter 18?

4. What is the question that the commissar says the narrator must answer in Chapter 20?

5. Why does Bon insist on returning to Vietnam for the General in Chapter 13?

6. How has the narrator's past year in the prison been described in Chapter 19?

7. What does Man reveal about his sympathies to the narrator in Chapter 22?

8. What is significant about Ms. Mori's family photos being set out in Chapter 13?

9. Where are the narrator and Bon sent after leaving the prison in the end of the novel?

10. What is revealed in the jar on the commandant's desk? What does it symbolize?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme of duality in The Sympathizer. How does the author establish this theme in the first lines of the novel? How does the theme of duality evolve throughout the story? What symbolism relates to this theme?

Essay Topic 2

Why does Bon insist on returning to Vietnam to fight for the General? Why does the narrator try to convince him otherwise? What ultimately leads to the narrator's decision to accompany Sonny to Vietnam?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the theme of misrepresentation or lack of representation of Vietnamese in Vietnam War films produced in the West. How is this theme developed through the script of The Hamlet?

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