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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. What does Mr. Dubois teach?

2. What does Rico admire about Zim?

3. What is the penalty if Rico changes his mind?

4. Which of Rico's friends persuaded him to join the MI?

5. What rank does Rico make after training?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the benefits of joining the army?

2. In what way does the army make things tough for the recruits?

3. Why is Rico feeling so low in Chapter 5?

4. What do the power suits enable a soldier to do?

5. Summarize Chapter 3.

6. Why are most pilots women?

7. Describe the three types of suits.

8. Describe Ace and Rico's fight.

9. Describe the release of the capsules in Chapter 1.

10. Describe Rico's punishment.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why does the flogging have such an adverse affect on the other soldiers? Do the students think the flogging was as much to prove a point to everybody as it was to punish Hendrick? Do you think that Hendrick's conduct deserved such a punishment? Why did they not just throw him out of the army?

Essay Topic 2

Look at the structure of the novel.

1) How does Heinlein use character and dialogue to drive the narrative?

2) Discuss elements of the narrative structure; exposition, conflict, complication, climax, resolution, and conclusion. Do all the elements make for a logical and linear story? How does the story's structure express the novel's themes?

3) Away from the main character Henderson, examine the way Heinlein uses the other characters in the story. When does he introduce and take them away from the story? What effect does it have on the story?

Essay Topic 3

Examine the recruitment process Heinlein portrays in the book. Is Mr. Dubois basically working as a teacher to find army recruits? What alternative opinions do the students think Rico has available to him? Why is Mr. Dubois and the government teaching such ideology when at the time there is no war? Does such ideology gear a population for war?

(see the answer keys)

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