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. What event did Kovic perform on the track team?

2. What does Kovic do when he first stands up for his mother?

3. What was the name of Kovic's staff sergeant?

4. What was the first name of the boy that often played with Kovic?

5. What was the name of the staff member that performed the procedure?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is one of the main things that cause the deep depression in Kovic?

2. Discuss Kovic's religious childhood rituals.

3. Where did the boys often play? What was their fantasy?

4. What did Ron Kovic's father do for a living?

5. What is the first thing Kovic notices missing when he wakes up on the battlefield?

6. Who interrupts Kovic's dream? Why?

7. When is Kovic's birthday and what is its significance?

8. Describe Kovic's first morning in the hospital.

9. What did Kovic do during the summer months? Who was often with him during that time?

10. What is the atmosphere like on the bus in Queens?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write a short story from a point of view similar to Kovic's while using a modern setting. How does your story differ? Why did you choose that particular setting? What about your story was similar to Kovic's tale? What was the part that provided the most contrast? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the life of an American soldier with soldiers from at least two other countries. Get photographs, if possible. Create two sets of comparisons - one using the modern military and one from World War I. Then compare the two time periods.

Essay Topic 3

Study the concept of flashbacks. What causes them? Are they based in reality or are they a sign of psychosis? What types of things might one see in a flashback? How are flashbacks used in the story? Does the use of flashback help you to understand more about the story and Kovic's character? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 513 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample