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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 city are the three refugee women in the cart from?

2. In Chapter 14, why is Frenchie Tucker about to leave the front when he is shot?

3. What finally breaks the unnerving calm at the end of Chapter 16?

4. What kind of animal do the Third Squad see Cacciato swinging around in this chapter?

5. In Chapter 16, what do the men start doing to pass time during a period of relative quiet?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Sarkin Aung Wan react to Paul Berlin's description of their mission?

2. What plans does Paul Berlin make for his return home in Chapter 5?

3. What are Sidney Martin's values regarding war as described in Chapter 25?

4. What difficulty arises when Lieutenant Corson tries to leave Li Van Hgoc's tunnel in Chapter 15?

5. What is the result of Chapter 3's vote?

6. Describe Lieutenant Corson.

7. What decision does Paul Berlin make at the observation tower in Chapter 8?

8. Why do living circumstances become awkward for Third Squad in Delhi?

9. Why does the Squad take a vote on whether to continue pursuing Cacciato in Chapter 3?

10. How does Cacciato toy with the Third Squad in this chapter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose one member of the Cacciato search party and write an essay analyzing his attitude toward the mission. At any point in the mission, does he grow convinced that Third Squad is deserting? What was his attitude toward Cacciato before Cacciato disappeared into the jungle? How does the mission to Paris change this character's attitude toward the world, the war, and his fellow soldiers?

Essay Topic 2

The narrative of the novel begins with the announcement that Cacciato, the simpleton, has set off into the jungle to walk to Paris. Although the men of Third Squad are annoyed, they do not question the impetus that drove Cacciato. Write an essay on Paris as a symbol in Going After Cacciato. Why does the idea of walking to Paris appeal to all of the men in the Squad? What does Paris represent to each of them, and what doe they find themselves doing once they arrive?

Essay Topic 3

Going After Cacciato, as a novel, is the dueling of two narratives. One, the story of Cacciato's flight to Paris, is beautiful, meaningful, and false. The other, the story of Sidney Martin's murder, is nihilistic, sad, and sadly factual. It is a war story that cannot be told. Write an essay about the dynamic of between these two stories. Why does one necessitate the creation of the other? Why is the latter entirely unsatisfactory as a story? Does it have any substantive lesson to teach?

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