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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. Who can predict and use others' mistakes?
2. What do Paul and Luong discuss?
3. Who is Klimenko?
4. Who does Christopher pay off?
5. Who scoffs at the idea they will admit to killing an American president and destroying the American army with heroin?
Short Essay Questions
1. Who does Luong send Paul to talk to and why does he recommend Paul talking to this person?
2. What is probably foreshadowed in Paul's dinner meeting with the Hitchocks?
3. What is Foley's "public" response to Paul's hypothesis about the connection between the JFK assassination and the Ngo family?
4. Briefly discuss Paul and David's friendship and what they have in common.
5. What does David Patchen think about Foley?
6. What demonstrates that Paul is still at risk despite the Truong toc saying Paul is harmless and to let him live?
7. What sudden revelation does Paul have and how does he have it?
8. Describe the dinner conversation between Kim and Paul.
9. Why are the Soviets concerned about Lee Harvey Oswald being JFK's assassin, and what action do the Soviets take?
10. What is ironic about Piero Cremona's statement about the United States Marines when reading this book in the present time?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
John F. Kennedy is the President of the United States at the opening of THE TEARS OF AUTUMN. Discuss one of the following:
1. Research the Kennedy's administration's policy in Vietnam and discuss how this policy affected the Ngo family. How accurate is McCarry's portrayal of the Kennedy administration's involvement in Vietnam? Do the historical records of the administration's policy to Vietnam differ compared to the novel? How?
2. After researching the Kennedy's administration's policy towards Vietnam, discuss whether you think some Vietnamese would be hostile to Kennedy even to the point of assassination. After your research, does McCarry's book seem more realistic or less? Explain.
3. Do you think JFK could be considered a character in the novel? Explain your answer with specific examples from the text. Would you label him as a protagonist or antagonist? How does Kennedy as a character affect the plot of THE TEARS OF AUTUMN?
Essay Topic 2
In Chapter 6, Paul visits Wolkowicz, who is shown to be obsessed with his personal safety and takes pleasure in watching his pet python feed. In a novel where people are tortured and killed, it is this pathetic scene where the violence seems gratuitous. Discuss the following:
1. Trace and analyze the theme of violence throughout THE TEARS OF AUTUMN. What violence is gratuitous? Does any of the violence seem justified? Is violence ever the only solution to a problem in this novel or in "real" life? Is violence ever the best solution in this novel or in "real" life?
2. What is the irony of Wolkowicz's fear for his personal safety and his pleasure in watching his python feed? Do you think Wolkowicz finds pleasure in other acts of violence? Why or why not?
3. In his evening of talking with Nicole, the idea that all humans seek to murder without feeling guilt is suggested. Do you think this is true? Is it possible to be a psychologically healthy person and murder without feeling guilty? Why or why not?
Essay Topic 3
In Chapter 7, when Paul declares he will resume his work, Ho mocks his bravado, but the Truong toc shows Paul Molly's picture, taken in Rome. Discuss the following:
1. Why it is more effective to threaten Paul with Molly's safety than his own? Do you think this is often the case for humans--i.e., that threats to their loved ones to illicit compliance is more effective than threats to one's own self?
2. Sybille Webster is angry that Paul is determined to stay with Molly because she thinks it endangers both of them. Do you think she is right to be angry? Do you think it is up to Molly whether she wants to risk death if she stays with Paul? Would it be right for Paul to make that decision for Molly? Discuss fully with details from the book.
3. Sybille Webster is also angry that Paul decides to investigate JFK's murder because it puts Paul's life at risk. Why do you think Paul thinks his life is worth knowing the truth? Do you think the truth is worth the lives that are lost in finding it? Why or why not.
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This section contains 1,289 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) |
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