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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. After the first battle when the Little Fish are used by the adult soldiers as bait for the Vietnamese, how many of the original number of boys are left?

2. Mek and Arn differ in their assessment of what their parting means. What are their two separate feelings about their separation?

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. What is Arn's reaction to seeing his sister again?

5. Besides the fact that Arn was a child soldier and Sojeat and Ravi were not, what other main difference is there between his background and theirs?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Arn turn over all of the dead bodies of the villagers to look into their faces?

2. When Arn determines that he has been away from his home village for two and a half years, how does he reach this conclusion?

3. At the start of his stay in the hospital, how does the author demonstrate that Arn has contracted Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder from his time under the rule of the Khmer Rouge?

4. When the leader allows Arn to ride his white horse to a neighboring camp to deliver a letter, why does Arn not run away?

5. For what reasons does Arn choose Sojeat and Ravi as his two favorites when Mr. Pond asks him for two names?

6. Why does Arn begin to shake after he boards the bus with the other refugees?

7. How does the scene of the Vietnamese soldiers walking through the village calling out to the people echo a scene from the first chapter of the novel? What is the effect of that allusion?

8. Why do Arn, Siv, and Kha kick dirt over their excrement after they eat the sweet potato Arn brings back from the leader's house?

9. What is the author's purpose for including Arn's comment that "now even the earth is our enemy"? (126)

10. Describe the parting of Arn and Mek. What is its significance within the course of the narrative?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In modern, first-world society, there is often a counter-cultural drive to move away from materialism and to focus on what really matters. However, Arn's interactions with the Khmer Rouge often instead highlight the importance of owning certain objects and relying on them to help define our identities. Discuss the conflict between these two points of view concerning materialism, drawing on examples from the novel to prove your claim.

Essay Topic 2

The theme of power is one that comes up over and over within the novel's narrative, particularly in relation to Arn's feelings of powerlessness and realizations about power he does indeed hold. Choose three instances when Arn realizes that he does, indeed, carry power, even within his dire situation. Discuss how these realizations help to shape the author's message regarding power.

Essay Topic 3

Within the novel, the manipulation of language in order to shift people's perspectives is a common theme, both in Arn's case, as when he questions the difference between a "bribe" and a "gift" (8) and in the case of the Khmer Rouge soldiers, as when they ban the use of the word "sleep," instead ordering that only the word "rest" (82) be used. Discuss the theme of language manipulation throughout the novel and relate it to manipulation of language within modern politics.

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