View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What happens to the train that Phuong and Kien eventually get on?
(a) It arrives safely
(b) It breaks down
(c) It crashes
(d) It is bombed

2. What does Phuong want Kien to be?
(a) A famous politician
(b) More like his father
(c) A famous general
(d) More like his mother

3. What colour does Kien's father use to paint with as he gets more depressed?
(a) Green
(b) Yellow
(c) Red
(d) Blue

4. What profession did Kien's father hold?
(a) That of a tram driver
(b) That of a tax inspector
(c) An army general
(d) That of an artist

5. Why can Toan be considered a 'rival'?
(a) Because their army superior liked Toan more
(b) Because Toan is also a writer
(c) Because he also vied for Phuong's affections when they were younger
(d) Because Toan and Kien were always gambling

Short Answer Questions

1. What was Kien's mother devoted to?

2. What stops this from happening?

3. Where does the narrative of Part Four start?

4. Why does Kien write in the post war period?

5. How are Kien and Phuong separated the very next day?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Phuong want Kien to be more like his father?

2. What is symbolic about the farm that Kien and his comrades visit?

3. Why does Kien refuse to sleep with Phuong before the war?

4. Why does Kien not kill the commandos responsible for the farmhouse massacre?

5. What was Phuong forced to become?

6. Where do Kien and Phuong go to escape when they hear about the war?

7. What musical instrument did Phuong play as a child, which indicates to Kien that she is a troubled soul?

8. Who is Kien's first 'kill' of the war?

9. How many times does Phuong's memories come back to Kien during the war?

10. What happens to the train that Kien and Phuong eventually catch so that he can return to his unit?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 482 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample