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| Name: _________________________ | Period: ___________________ |
This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. What did Billy Boy and the others do to pass the time on the afternoon he died?
2. In Chapter 45, what does Paul Berlin recall is the last word he ever said to Cacciato?
3. Which member of Third Squad always daydreams abut what he'd do with a million dollars?
4. Cacciato tells Paul Berlin that the way to Paris is simple after one passes what city?
5. What is Cacciato doing while the other men vote to murder Sidney Martin?
Short Essay Questions
1. Why does the Squad occasionally march down trails likely to be booby trapped?
2. What lesson does Oscar Johnson declare should be learned from Buff's death?
3. How does Third Squad gain control of the VW van?
4. How does Third Squad determine happens to Buff's big gun?
5. What public event does Third Squad witness in Chapter 29?
6. What does Paul Berlin rationalize is the essential purpose of the Vietnam War at the end of Chapter 40?
7. Why does Stink Harris jump off the ship at the end of Chapter 38?
8. Why does Third Squad intensify its search for Cacciato in Chapter 44?
9. Describe Sarkin Aung Wan and Paul Berlin's debate in Chapter 44.
10. How does Lieutenant Martin precipitate his own murder in Chapter 34?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
In the character of Li Van Hgoc, O'Brien has created a complex portrait of the enemy for Third Squad to encounter, both a victim and perpetrator of Viet Cong cruelty.
Write an essay analyzing Li Van Hgoc and what O'Brien is saying about the nature of oppressive governance. How is Li Van Hgoc a threat to the safety of Third Squad, and why is he so kind and forthcoming? How does his faith illustrate the collective fate of the Vietnamese people in this cruel war?
Essay Topic 2
Throughout Going After Cacciato, both the author and the characters in the novel debate the reasons for American involvement in Vietnam. Write an essay about American interventionism, focusing on three instances in the narrative:
Part 1) In Tehran, Third Squad sits down for a drink with Captain Rhallon of the Iranian Savak. Why does he think America is having such a difficult time in Vietnam? How does Doc Peret respond to Rhallon's theory?
Part 2) Write a paragraph about Paul Berlin's promotion review for Spec Four. What reason does the unnamed major give for America's involvement in Vietnam? How does Paul Berlin respond to this?
Part 3) What hypothetical conversation does Paul Berlin hold with the young crying girl in a village Third Squad burned? What does he want to tell her about his reasons for coming to fight in her homeland?
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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This section contains 1,002 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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