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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 word (or a variation of it) is repeated several times after the sniper is shot?

2. The narrator says that the sniper can hear the "dull panting" (96) of the enemy armored car. This is an example of which technique?

3. What finally changes the way that the sniper is feeling?

4. What is the first physical sensation the sniper feels in the place where he has been shot?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

6. How does the sniper fool his enemy?

7. Describe the wound that the sniper suffers.

8. How does the sniper react to being shot?

9. What causes the sniper to suddenly lose his enthusiasm for the battle?

10. Who are the Republicans at war with, and what does this opposition believe?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the symbolic significance of the sniper's bullet injury and his treatment of it. Be sure to use textual evidence to support your claim.

Essay Topic 2

Explain why the ending of "The Sniper" creates dramatic irony.

Essay Topic 3

Whiskey is sometimes disparagingly referred to as "Irish Courage." Justify the presence of the detail of the whiskey in "The Sniper," where space is at such a premium.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 685 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample