View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Brandt testifies that he always felt he should have reported the hospital incident, but was afraid to. What was Brandt afraid of?

2. As the trial is about to begin, who is ushered out of his courtroom seat in case he is called as a witness?

3. According to what Harper tells Corva, which of the following people will NOT be a witness for Tyson?

4. As the platoon members began to agree on the details of the story that they would all stick to, how many men do they say were hit by sniper fire as the platoon approached the building?

5. According to the trial's first witness, where was Tyson present in the hospital?

Short Essay Questions

1. On the third day of the trial, what does Tyson insist that Corva do?

2. Summarize the closing arguments of both Pierce and Corva.

3. After escorting a man from the courtroom with the excuse that he might be called as a witness, what does Corva reveal to be his true intentions for removing the man?

4. Describe the appearance of Richard Farley at the court martial trial.

5. Tyson and Corva have the option of eliminating one member from the panel that serves as the jury for the court martial. What do Tyson and Corva base their elimination decision on?

6. As the court martial approaches, what does Corva remind Tyson will happen if Tyson is ordered to tell the truth?

7. As Tyson and his platoon left the hospital after the massacre, why was Tyson relieved that they had Crane's body with them?

8. When Tyson and Corva arrive for the court martial hearing, Corva sends Tyson into their conference room alone. Why does Tyson wish that Corva were with him?

9. As Tyson and his platoon left the hospital after the massacre, what did Tyson hope no one would be able to tell?

10. When Harper tells Tyson that several of his old platoon members have "finally" been located, what does Tyson believe?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast Vincent Corva and Farnley Gilmer.

a. How are the two characters similar in terms of their professional lives? How are they different?

b. How are the two characters similar in their personality characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses? How are they different?

c. Looking forward, how might Tyson's court martial have affected each of these men as they moved forward with their lives? Would they be similarly affected or not? Explain your answers and your reasoning.

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the characteristics, roles, loyalties, and agendas of the following people in the story: Vincent Corva, Karen Harper, Marcy Tyson, Steven Brandt, and Andrew Picard.

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 882 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample