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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In the American armed services, the term "chickenshit" referred to what?
(a) Official disciplinary action.
(b) Hazing of enlisted by officers.
(c) Complaining among the enlisted men.
(d) The response of enlisted men to hazing.

2. A blunder that causes one force to misidentify another, whether it be friendly or hostile, is called what?
(a) An identification failure.
(b) A recognition error.
(c) An intel-reconnaissance failure.
(d) A target acquisition error.

3. Why did enlisted men require an "anodyne"?
(a) To make up for their low self-images.
(b) To deal with the loss of friends.
(c) To cope with the stresses of warfare.
(d) To provide a distraction.

4. The author suggests that in warfare, blunders are how common?
(a) Quite common.
(b) Extremely rare.
(c) Rare.
(d) Ubiquitous.

5. Soldiers were often not given what type of information?
(a) Their division.
(b) Their location.
(c) Their orders.
(d) Their Captain's name.

Short Answer Questions

1. What drink did American troops generally prefer?

2. Allegedly, agents working for the axis spread what rumor?

3. When did heavy drinking begin for most conscripts?

4. How did much of the American public react to initial reports of violence, chaos and casualty figures?

5. Why is Julian Maclaren-Ross discussed in the book?

Short Essay Questions

1. What writer is a notable exception to the normal treatment of enlisted men, and how did he differ?

2. What was the doctrine of precision bombing?

3. Why have nearly all nations historically favored younger soldiers?

4. What did Americans expect their participation in WWII to be like?

5. What beliefs did American have about the Japanese going into the war, and how did those beliefs change?

6. Describe one stereotype that American troops believed about soldiers from an allied nation.

7. What problems did the doctrine of precision bombing face?

8. According to the author, why does the human mind crave narrative order?

9. Why did many soldiers require an anodyne?

10. Once they were in the war, how did Americans believe they could win it?

(see the answer keys)

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