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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. As described in Chapter 5, natural warriors are able to kill without what?

2. According to Grossman in Chapter 1, which type of combatants are more prone than most to a powerful exhilaration stage?

3. In the anecdote at the beginning of Chapter 3, what is the soldier surprised he did in his first firefight?

4. During what component of military training is the most important conditioning happening according to Grossman in Chapter 1?

5. Which of the following is not an example provided in Chapter 2 of Vietnam's "dirty" combat?

Short Essay Questions

1. What hypothetical situation does Grossman relate in Chapter 3?

2. Why was combat in Vietnam particularly dirty, as described in Chapter 2?

3. According to Grossman in Chapter 3, how can PTSD be treated effectively?

4. How did John Foster rationalize killing a VC in Chapter 1?

5. What examples from Chapter 6 illustrate a problematic relationship with women in the military?

6. What factors contribute to a soldier's decision to commit an atrocity?

7. Describe the strange dichotomy between nudity and killing in Western culture?

8. What are the defining characteristics of a natural warrior?

9. What is the Weinberger Doctrine?

10. According to Grossman in Chapter 3, what is the difference between military killing training and that provided by video games?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

At the beginning of ON KILLING, Dave Grossman pointedly lists his conservative opinions and prejudices, saying he wants to be clear with the reader as to his natural inclinations from the start. How does this affect ones reading of the policy discussion that follows? Do these prejudices seem to affect his domestic recommendations more than his military recommendations? How so? What ideology is he espousing in the latter sections of the book?

Essay Topic 2

Much of the book is dedicated to the vast majority of soldiers that are naturally resistant to killing, but Grossman indicates that a small number of soldiers feel no remorse after killing. Write an essay about these natural warriors. What do they all have in common? How are their lives generally similar, and how do they interact with less aggressive combatants around them? What separates a natural warrior from a psychopath?

Essay Topic 3

A major subject and tonal shift occurs in the last third of ON KILLING when Dave Grossman turns his attention away from the military and toward civilian life. Write an essay about Grossman's opinions about modern American culture. How is the culture conditioning young people to be violent? How have traditional defenses against this deteriorated? What evidence does the author use to argue his points?

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