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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 does the General say his men were surrounded when he was taken to a Communist prison camp in Chapter 16?

2. Whose gold-painted bust sits in the commissar's office?

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

4. Where does the grizzled captain say he lost contact with his family in Chapter 13?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. What conflict does the narrator recall with the General as he falls asleep in Chapter 17?

2. What is revealed about the narrator's father's death in Chapter 22?

3. What symbolism is revealed when Man waves at the narrator at the end of his reeducation?

4. What effects has the torture had on the narrator in the beginning of Chapter 22?

5. How is Abe's story related in Chapter 13?

6. What memory of his father's death does the narrator recall in Chapter 18?

7. What do Lana and Bon discuss at the night club in Chapter 14? How does this conversation impact the narrator?

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

9. What is the commandant questioning the narrator about in the beginning of Chapter 19?

10. How is the commissar described when the narrator finally meets him in Chapter 19?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the narrator's relationship with the General. For how long has he worked for the General? What kind of relationship do they have? How does the narrator feel about Madame?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss the methods of torture used on the narrator during "reeducation." What are the effects of these methods? How is the narrator affected both mentally and physically? How is he led to recover?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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