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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. In what year does John Paul Vann's mother, Myrtle, die?

2. What is the name of John Paul Vann's mother?

3. What word best describes the atmosphere in Vietnam in 1965, according to John Paul Vann?

4. Ramsey is captured by the Vietcong in 1966 and held prisoner for ________ years.

5. During his work in Vietnam after 1965, John Paul Vann is befriended by whom?

Short Essay Questions

1. What new war tactic, employed by the U.S. marines in 1965, particularly disgusted John Paul Vann and why?

2. By this time, what was the political situation in Saigon?

3. Who offers John Paul Vann a position as part of a national "brain trust" on Vietnam? What was John Paul Vann's reaction?

4. With whom did John Paul Vann spend a great amount of his time growing up? Why?

5. When did Myrtle Lee Tripp's second husband, Frank Vann, finally adopt John Paul Vann as his son? Why did it take so long?

6. One of the unique features of the Vietnam War was the war correspondent (a special type of journalist) that went to the war zone and reported on what was happening there. How did this affect how the U.S. military commanders conducted the war?

7. What media figure befriends John Paul Vann and is responsible for stealing and leaking the "Pentagon Papers" to the U.S. media? What strategy of John Paul Vann's did this person find most appealing?

8. How did John Paul Vann react to the ARVN "victory" at Ap Bac? How did General Harkins accept John Paul Vann's assessment?

9. Following the conflicting stories regarding the success of the Battle of Ap Bac, how did Washington, DC, respond?

10. Where did the Vann family live during John Paul Vann's childhood?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

John Paul Vann retired from the military in 1963. However, he re-enlisted to serve in Vietnam as a civilian with the Agency for International Development (AID) just two years later, in 1965. Briefly explain why you think John Paul Vann would make that decision and support your answer with information given in the text.

Essay Topic 2

What were some of John Paul Vann's specific duties and responsibilities as a civilian member of the Agency for International Development (AID) in Vietnam? How did the efforts of this agency improve the conditions of the war for combatants and innocents alike? Was John Paul Vann satisfied with the scope of his AID directives? If not, why not? What more did he feel he needed to do?

Essay Topic 3

When Richard M. Nixon was elected president in 1968, what actions did he take with regard to the war in Vietnam? Provide 2-3 examples, along with your analysis of whether or not these actions helped or hindered the war effort. Also, how did Nixon's policies mesh or differ with the views espoused throughout the book by John Paul Vann?

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