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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. 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 listen to Sombo and to practice the art of war continually so that he may stay alive.
(b) She tells him to ask Sombo if she can join their group as their new rice girl.
(c) She tells him to run away and to meet her at the mountain camp where two of their other sisters are living.
(d) She tells him not to be too brave and to hide from the bullets so she can see him again.

2. Why does Arn decide he wants to become good at volleyball once he sees this is the most popular game at the Children's Center?
(a) Because he sees that whoever is good at the game becomes important in the eyes of the other kids.
(b) Because he wants to spend his time doing something productive so that he can forget about missing his family.
(c) Because he used to play it back in his home village and he feels nostalgic about it.
(d) Because he thinks he'll be good at it since during battles he's had to watch the sky for flying artillery.

3. What does the hospital look like where Arn arrives when he gets off the bus?
(a) It is a big stucco building with lots of windows.
(b) It is a brick building that looks like a prison.
(c) It is a mud hut with a thatched roof.
(d) It is a tent with open sides.

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 hasn't killed anyone in a long time and has a thirst for killing.
(b) He realizes that he did it because he has to think about surviving every minute of every day.
(c) He realizes that he did it because he was hugging the monkey so hard that he didn't realize he was throttling it.
(d) He realizes that he did it because he saw the monkey having a good time with its family and he was jealous.

5. When Missus Gotobed warns the children that the refugee camp on the other side of the fence is dangerous, why does Arn still walk back and forth along the fence one day?
(a) He wants to look for any family or friends.
(b) He wants to see if he can spot any Khmer Rouge soldiers that he can plot to kill later.
(c) He has heard that Sombo is in this refugee camp.
(d) He wants to appear brave in the eyes of the other kids,

6. When the radio makes clear that the Vietnamese soldiers really are coming, chaos erupts and many children run away in the melee. Sombo asks Arn why he doesn't run away to find his family. Why does Arn not run away?
(a) He is afraid the soldiers in the next camp will kill his little sister Sophea if he runs away.
(b) He now feels so far removed from his biological family that his friends seem much more important to stay close to in this world.
(c) He is afraid that the Khmer Rouge will recognize him due to his fame and shoot him for the traitor they will consider him to be.
(d) He realizes that he has no idea why he does not run away; the thought has just never occurred to him.

7. Who nurses Arn enough to bring him back to consciousness once he reaches Thailand?
(a) Three boys from Little Fish with Big Sting.
(b) Siv, Kha, and Mek.
(c) Arn's three older sisters.
(d) A group of three Thai girls.

8. What is the news being reported on the radio when Sombo quickly turns it off to prevent Arn from hearing?
(a) The Khmer Rouge have taken over every major city and every small village in Cambodia.
(b) Vietnamese soldiers are coming across the border to take over Cambodia by fighting the Khmer Rouge.
(c) Everyone in Cambodia is fleeing to Thailand to escape the Khmer Rouge.
(d) The rice fields in Cambodia are full of the joyful voices of peasants working in the fields.

9. 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) Cooking pots and kindling.
(b) Guns and bullets.
(c) Extra socks and underwear.
(d) Water and food.

10. Mek and Arn differ in their assessment of what their parting means. What are their two separate feelings about their separation?
(a) Mek feels the need to put on a brave face and pretend he is joyous despite their parting, while Arn cannot hide his grief and weeps.
(b) Arn feels certain they will see each other again, while Mek feels certain they will not.
(c) Mek feels certain they will see each other again, while Arn feels certain they will not.
(d) Arn feels the need to put on a brave face and pretend he is joyous despite their parting, while Mek cannot hide his grief and weeps.

11. When Sombo takes Arn away from the group, his parting from Kha and Siv is especially hard. What about the separation makes it particularly tough for Arn?
(a) He has planned to give Kha and Siv his only blanket, but Sombo takes him away before he can do so.
(b) He has planned to learn how to play the xylophone from Kha and how to play soccer from Siv, but now it's too late.
(c) Sombo takes him away without warning, so he does not get to say goodbye to Kha and Siv, who are now like brothers to him.
(d) He has grown over time to hate Sombo, so Kha and Siv are the only friends he has left.

12. Why does Sombo get mad when he sees Arn dragging his gun behind him due to its great weight?
(a) He says if it knocks against the ground, it could accidentally go off and kill someone.
(b) He says that a lack of respect for one's gun shows a lack of respect for oneself.
(c) He says that the gun is Arn's life and that if he loses it, it's like giving the gun to his enemy.
(d) He says that dragging it on the ground could allow water to get into it and cause the gun to misfire when Arn needs it.

13. What is Koong's function within Sombo's group?
(a) He sings old Cambodian love songs to the group each night.
(b) He goes ahead of the group in order to look for Vietnamese soldiers.
(c) He checks the ground for land mines as the group follows behind him.
(d) He catches rats, insects, frogs and snakes to feed the group when their rice runs out.

14. For the first few days in the hospital, Arn is given a certain food to keep him alive. What is that food?
(a) Yogurt.
(b) Guava fruit.
(c) Honey.
(d) Powdered milk.

15. Why does Arn start to suspect that Koong is Sombo's new favorite boy?
(a) Sombo now sleeps alongside Koong.
(b) Sombo now gives Koong extra food.
(c) Sombo tells Arn not to be jealous, but it just makes Arn sure his suspicions are correct.
(d) Sombo now speaks roughly to Arn, while speaking sweetly to Koong.

Short Answer Questions

1. Arn hears a voice coming through a bullhorn, telling the refugees that it's okay to come out and he waits for what he thinks is a trick to end in gunfire and moaning. Instead, he hears a different sound. What is it?

2. Thinking he hears gunfire one night at the hospital, Arn awakes with a start and reaches for his gun. What is actually making the sound that he mistakes for gunfire?

3. What happens the first time Arn shoots his gun?

4. Just before the radio's batteries die, what do they hear the voice of Angka saying in the news report?

5. Why does Arn save most of the candy Mr. Pond gives him in order to give it to Sojeat and Ravi?

(see the answer keys)

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