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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why does the enemy sniper stand up and expose his position?
(a) He is startled by shooting in the street.
(b) He is ready to give up.
(c) He believes the protagonist to be dead.
(d) He believes that the protagonist will honor the white flag.

2. Why does the protagonist expose his hand by draping it over the parapet?
(a) He needs to risk it in order to get his gun.
(b) To make it look like he has been shot.
(c) He is unaware that he has done so.
(d) To show a white flag.

3. At the end of the story, the reader learns that the story has been taking place on the corner of what street?
(a) Christchurch.
(b) Donnybrook.
(c) Lifford.
(d) O'Connell.

4. The sniper takes a "draught" (96) of his drink. What is a "draught" in this context?
(a) A British measure.
(b) A small sip.
(c) A large swallow.
(d) A deep sniff.

5. What temporarily interferes with his vision and stops the sniper from seeing the results of his shot?
(a) Sweat.
(b) Smoke.
(c) Rain.
(d) Tears.

Short Answer Questions

1. When the sniper turns over the body of his enemy, whom does he discover it to be?

2. Where is the enemy sniper located?

3. As a result of taking a risk in order to see his dead enemy's body, what happens to the sniper?

4. What is the source of the sniper's respect for his fallen enemy?

5. What do the Free Staters want?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the two contrasting descriptions of the sniper given when he is first introduced?

2. What is the symbolic significance of the O'Connell Bridge and the River Liffey?

3. What motivates the sniper to discover the identity of the dead man, and what is that identity?

4. What risk does the sniper take at the beginning of the story, and what are the consequences?

5. What is the sniper drinking, and what evidence does the reader have that it is affecting his judgement?

6. When the reader first encounters the sniper, what is he doing, and why?

7. In the sentence "Almost immediately, a bullet flattened itself against the parapet of the roof," (96), what is being personified and what purpose does the personification of the bullet serve?

8. Who does the sniper kill while he is still waiting to kill the enemy sniper, and why does he kill them?

9. What problem is created by the sniper's wound?

10. What motivates the sniper to get himself back under control?

(see the answer keys)

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