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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Just before the radio's batteries die, what do they hear the voice of Angka saying in the news report?
(a) That victory is near and that the Cambodian army will soon conquer Vietnam.
(b) That Vietnamese soldiers are no longer to be shot at since they have joined forces with the Khmer Rouge.
(c) That children are no longer allowed to act as soldiers for the cause.
(d) That all Khmer Rouge soldiers are ordered to flee to Thailand if they can.

2. What new job does the child leader give the Little Fish so that they can prove their loyalty to Angka?
(a) They must climb onto the tanks of the Vietnamese army and drop grenades inside.
(b) They must cook all of the food for every soldier in the camp for one week without eating anything themselves.
(c) They must fetch the water for every soldier in the camp for one week without drinking any of it themselves.
(d) They must leap from the trenches they have dug and draw enemy fire.

3. After Arn becomes a sort of personal assistant to the leader with the white shorts, what privilege is he granted?
(a) He gets to go in the leader's room to sleep on a soft feather pillow on the floor.
(b) He gets to run as fast as he wants, a practice normally forbidden so that escapes may be detected.
(c) He gets to sleep in late and eat a breakfast of rice cakes.
(d) He gets to ride the leader's white horse.

4. When Arn has a touching moment with the baby monkey but then snaps its neck and wonders why he has done this terrible thing, what conclusion does he come to?
(a) He realizes that he did it because he saw the monkey having a good time with its family and he was jealous.
(b) He realizes that he did it because he was hugging the monkey so hard that he didn't realize he was throttling it.
(c) He realizes that he did it because he hasn't killed anyone in a long time and has a thirst for killing.
(d) He realizes that he did it because he has to think about surviving every minute of every day.

5. Once Sombo's group dwindles to a number of only seven kids, plus Sombo and Koong, they become so tired that they drop most of what they have been carrying. What are the two things they continue to carry?
(a) Extra socks and underwear.
(b) Cooking pots and kindling.
(c) Guns and bullets.
(d) Water and food.

6. Arn knows there are wild animals in the jungle that may eat him, so he climbs a tree to sleep. What animal does he suspect has spent the night under his tree when he sees the grass lying down?
(a) A tiger.
(b) A leopard.
(c) A hippopotamus.
(d) A rhinoceros.

7. What is Arn's reaction to seeing his sister again?
(a) It creates in him an inability to kill.
(b) It causes him to want to run away.
(c) It restores in him the will to live.
(d) It makes him hate Sombo.

8. What instructions does Arn's sister give him when he is able to sneak out to see her in the night?
(a) She tells him to ask Sombo if she can join their group as their new rice girl.
(b) She tells him to run away and to meet her at the mountain camp where two of their other sisters are living.
(c) She tells him to listen to Sombo and to practice the art of war continually so that he may stay alive.
(d) She tells him not to be too brave and to hide from the bullets so she can see him again.

9. What simile does Arn use to describe his sister's appearance when he sees her?
(a) Like a whisper of air.
(b) Like a tired mother.
(c) Like a tiny old woman.
(d) Like an overworked horse.

10. What happens the first time Arn and and another Little Fish go to drop grenades into the tanks of the Vietnamese soldiers?
(a) The other boy gets scared and doesn't join Arn in climbing onto the tank, but Arn fulfills the mission.
(b) Arn is successful at the mission but the other boy's foot is blown off.
(c) Arn and the other boy are both successful and feel very proud of their accomplishment.
(d) Arn gets scared and doesn't climb onto the tank and the other boy gets hurt as a result.

11. When he is mistaken for a member of the Khmer Rouge by one of their leaders, what is Arn's reaction?
(a) He vows to get even with this leader someday.
(b) He considers running away from camp.
(c) He sits down on the grass and cries.
(d) He yells at the leader, telling him that he is a captive.

12. What two factions are represented by the radio stations they listen to on Sombo's radio?
(a) The Voice of America and Bangkok.
(b) Vietnam and Cambodia.
(c) Angka and the Voice of America.
(d) The Voice of Thailand and the Khmer Rouge.

13. The author uses the occasion of Arn's transition into the role of soldier to refer back to events at the start of the novel. What are those events and what triggers them in Arn's thoughts?
(a) He straps a gun and ammunition to his chest and it reminds him of playing soldiers with his little brother Munny, just as they did after the movie so long ago.
(b) He feels a sense of power from being armed and likens it to the feeling he used to get from earning his own money and having the power to buy things other kids couldn't.
(c) He remembers a prayer and recites it out loud, causing him to think about the monk teacher whom he used to bribe so he could skip school to sell his wares.
(d) He looks up into the sky and hears the rat-a-tat-tat of artillery, which makes him think of the sound his cheap vendor bell used to make as he sold from his cart.

14. Why does Sombo return to the hidden village to kill everyone who lives there?
(a) Because he goes back to steal their food and they put up a struggle, so he kills them.
(b) Because he has become thirsty for blood after a lack of battle for so long.
(c) Because he is worried that if he does not, the villagers will sneak into their camp and kill them first.
(d) Because he thinks they told the Vietnamese his group's location.

15. As soon as Arn realizes he can see Thailand on the other side of the river, something about it frightens him and makes him want to stop and not go on. What is it about Thailand that frightens him?
(a) He sees many fires and does not know whether they have been set by soldiers or if they are being used by villagers to cook.
(b) He sees huge storm clouds gathering in the distance and is afraid Thailand is about to be hit by a monsoon.
(c) It appears to be a vast stretch of wide open land with nowhere for him to hide.
(d) He worries that because he is unable to speak Thai, someone will mistake him for their enemy and he will be killed.

Short Answer Questions

1. What sets Arn apart from the rest of the group and causes his fame to grow by the day?

2. What special food does Arn steal from the leader's house party so that he can share it with Siv and Kha when he returns to camp?

3. Though at first Arn is furious with Mr. Pond for taking chances that lead to him being shot by a Thai guard, Mr. Pond then reveals news that makes Arn ecstatic. What is that news?

4. When the Little Fish receive automatic rifles, a tragedy happens. What is it?

5. When Arn becomes delirious with hunger, he sees the monkey family and then his own family and they chant words to him over and over. What are those words he hears them chant?

(see the answer keys)

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