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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 one of Pigeon's weaknesses?

2. What does Tom say is a mistake?

3. Who has been followed?

4. In addition to two brothers and a foreigner, all marked for death, who else is involved in Yu's analysis?

5. What kind of skier is Molly?

Short Essay Questions

1. How has Molly helped Paul to heal?

2. What do Paul and Tom discuss as they are at the bar having hot buttered rum?

3. Describe Paul's initial visit with Ruiz.

4. What is the response to Paul's report at the meeting and what does Trumbull decide to do and why?

5. Briefly sum up Molly's week with the Websters.

6. How do Yu's horoscopes figure into the planning of the assassination of JFK?

7. With whom does Paul meet in Zurich and what do they do?

8. What are Paul's instructions to the two men who are to break Pigeon?

9. What happens to all the Cubans but Ruiz and why not Ruiz? What does Nsango ask about Ruiz?

10. Who does Paul meet on the outskirts of Elisabethville and for what reason?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In Chapter 6, after Paul has discovered Luong's body and flees the scene, he is seated in the Continental Palace terrace when the Truong toc's girl approaches Paul's table and sits stiffly. He is surprised that a male relative has not been sent. Discuss the following:

1. Compare/contrast the females from the Western world to that of those from Vietnam as demonstrated in the text. How are they alike? How do they differ? How does their status in each culture differ? Are there similarities in their cultural status? What are they? Explain using examples from the text.

2. Have the cultural expectations in the present time (the 21st century) changed for women in either culture? How? (This may require some research.) Explain using examples from the text and your research.

3. Which culture seems to have changed more radically in their attitude towards women and the status of women? (This may require some research.) Explain using examples from the text and your research.

Essay Topic 2

In Chapter 8, the readers are introduced to Yu Lung. Discuss the following:

1. Thoroughly describe and analyze the character Yu Lung. Is he a protagonist or antagonist? He is presented as well-rounded or flat? What is his purpose in relation to the plot? Is he likeable? How would the plot be impacted if he did not exist?

2. Discuss the topic of horoscopy as presented by Yu Lung. Do his statements seem sincere? Do you think horoscopy is a valid means of making decisions? Why or why not?

3. Ngo Diem and Ngo Nhu make decisions about the future based upon their horoscopy readings. Did they make their deaths a self-fulfilling prophecy? Knowing they were predicted to die in their readings, why do you think they do not try to prevent their deaths? Do they desire martyrdom? How would that help their cause?

Essay Topic 3

In Chapter 3, Paul intuits why JFK is murdered. Paul has always had the gift of picturing events in his head and afterward piecing together the facts that support the vision. His superstitious ex-wife considers it mind-reading, but Paul believes it is more akin to the creation of poetry. Discuss the following:

1. Why do you think Paul's gift of picturing events in his head and afterward piecing together the facts that support the vision is similar to writing poetry?

2. Do you think Paul's ex-wife is actually superstitious and believes Paul reads minds? Why or why not.

3. What type of reasoning is Paul's method of arriving at a conclusion? Does this method seem to work well for Paul in figuring out the motives and people behind the assassination of John F. Kennedy?

(see the answer keys)

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