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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. When Tyson returns to the cottage in Sag Harbor after visiting Picard, what is his wife doing?

2. When Tyson's wife arrives home the day Tyson first learns of the book, what does Tyson's wife find him doing?

3. Where does the second interview between Tyson and the government's investigator take place?

4. When Tyson returns to the cottage in Sag Harbor after visiting Picard, what is his son doing?

5. When Tyson begins to beat up the man he goes outside the officer's club to meet, who breaks up the fight?

Short Essay Questions

1. According to what Tyson confides to Levin during their meeting, how did Tyson come to feel during his time in Vietnam?

2. When Tyson meets with the man who quietly suggests that Tyson leave the country, how does that meeting end?

3. According to what Picard tells Ben Tyson, why does Picard confide that he probably should not have used the chapter about the hospital massacre?

4. Why does Tyson refuse to call for those members of his platoon who are still alive to come to his defense?

5. How does the Lieutenant Colonel try to comfort Tyson when Tyson objects to the travel restriction?

6. When Tyson and his wife attend a party, what new feeling does Tyson experience at the party?

7. How much money does Tyson's military attorney agree to represent Tyson for?

8. According to Tyson, it was standard practice in Vietnam that an officer had some enemy weapons to turn in with bodies of innocent civilians killed. Why?

9. Why do the charges against Tyson make a distinction between Orientals and Caucasians?

10. Why was Tyson not reassigned in Vietnam like he was supposed to be?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Identify three of the people that are on the side of the prosecution against Ben Tyson for the mass murders in Hue. Then, compare and contrast the backgrounds, experiences, and opinions of these three prosecution members. Was each member of the group necessary in order for the prosecution to build its case against Tyson? Why or why not? Was any member of the group expendable? Why or why not? What might have been different if these group members were not involved with the case? Explain your reasoning.

Essay Topic 2

In many ways, the novel is a series of contrasts designed to heighten the reader's awareness and draw the reader deeper into the story and the intricacies of each of the story's characters. Identify at least three contrasts that are used in the novel. Describe these contrasts and determine how they impact the story's plot, as well as the reader's emotional involvement in the characters' lives. If these identified contrasts were not included in the story, what impact would their absence have on the storyline, the characters' development, and the readers' involvement?

Essay Topic 3

The theme of loyalty is evident throughout the novel. Ben Tyson's loyalties, for instance, lie with himself, his family, and his platoon, and he refuses to divulge information regarding the hospital massacre because of that loyalty. Discuss how the theme of loyalty is portrayed through the eyes of Marcy Tyson, Andrew Picard, Richard Farley, and Vincent Corva. Support your observations.

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