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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 Ben Tyson's job?

2. What is the name of the noted military law professor that the government's team consults?

3. What is the name of the attorney Tyson meets with after first seeing the book detailing the activities of his platoon in Vietnam?

4. What is the name of Ben Tyson's wife?

5. What is the name of the psychiatrist that Tyson almost told the truth to about the events in Vietnam?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why is Ben Tyson afraid of following the advice given to him by his attorney just after Tyson learns of the book's existence?

3. Describe the situation that Picard shares with Ben Tyson as an example of one of Picard's "bad light" experiences.

4. When Tyson and his wife attend his party, what new feeling does Tyson's wife experience?

5. When Tyson and Marcy go to the officer's club to have dinner, why is Tyson rude to the person he introduces to Marcy?

6. After hearing the charges against him, what fact does Tyson point out that makes him feel that charges should never have been filed?

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

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

9. Why do Berg, Truscott, and Van Arken decide to go after Tyson instead of the enlisted men?

10. According to Levin, why will Tyson be held to a higher standard for his actions in Vietnam than others will be?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast Steven Brandt and Richard Farley.

a. How are the two characters similar? How are they different?

b. Compare the reasons each man had for breaking the code of silence and sharing their stories with Andrew Picard. What did each man have to gain? To lose?

c. How does the decision to come forward affect each character - both positively and negatively?

Essay Topic 2

Throughout the course of the novel, Ben Tyson is involved with two quite different women. Compare and contrast the relationship Ben has with Marcy to the not-completely-professional relationship Ben has with Karen. Then, compare and contrast these two women. How do these two relationships influence not only Ben, but also the other people working on both sides of the court martial case?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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