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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 temporarily interferes with his vision and stops the sniper from seeing the results of his shot?

2. What does the sniper drop to the ground?

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

4. In order to fool his enemy, what does the sniper lift over the parapet?

5. Why does the sniper not immediately fire on the enemy car?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Describe the wound that the sniper suffers.

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

4. What happens as a result of the Republican sniper's ruse?

5. How does the enemy sniper manage to shoot the protagonist?

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

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

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

9. How does the sniper react to being shot?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the paradox in the story's description of the sniper's appearance.

Essay Topic 2

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

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the use of the River Liffey as a symbol in "The Sniper." Describe how it appears in the story, background information on the river, and how these two elements combine to create meaning.

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