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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. When the narrator and the other encounter Eudoxie, what is Lamuse doing?

2. Tirette is best described as which of the following?

3. Why does Tulacque believe that those who drive the artillery pieces to Verdun are not truly in the war?

4. The soldier being carried by the Territorial stretcher-bearers was killed doing what?

5. Chapter 7 begins with the squad waiting where as they prepare for redeployment?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Poterloo sneak behind enemy lines?

2. What do the men of the squad think about the shirkers?

3. What do the survivors of Bertrand's squad do while on leave?

4. How do the men feel about the things they carry?

5. What is Poterloo's mental state when he and the narrator discover the remains of Souchez?

6. How do Blaire and the others blunder into German lines while searching for matches?

7. How do the civilian's perceptions of the war differ from the soldier's experiences?

8. Describe the conditions in which the squad digs the trench in Chapter 23.

9. How does the author feel about the speech of the characters in the book he is writing?

10. In what way is Fouillade similar to the dog, Labri?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author demonstrates that in the war, life is cheap. Soldiers on both sides die for mundane reasons with no clear gain. The poilus of Bertrand's squad and others show that the deaths of strangers mean little to them, and the death of friends is common and unremarkable, though sad.

Part 1) Cite and explain examples from the book to show how the author establishes the poilus' attitude towards death..

Part 2) Discuss the theme of the cheapness of life. What are some of the smallest and most meaningless reasons that soldiers die in the novel? How do the soldiers react to these events?

Part 3) Do the men of Cpl. Bertrand's squad seem aware of the cheapness of their own lives? How do they deal with the nearly constant threat of death, and the knowledge that death may mean nothing?

Essay Topic 2

The author makes it a point to center the narrative spotlight on a number of inexplicable or irrational actions on the part of the French army and its officers. The army does much that makes little sense, and this tends to reinforce the theme of hopeless and pointless waste.

Part 1) Describe some examples of actions on the part of the French army and its officers that seems to make little sense.

Part 2) Explain the reaction of the men of Bertrand's squad to this irrationality. Cite specific examples of these reactions and explain their significance.

Part 3) Speculate as to the reasoning behind some of these unexplained or mysterious actions. Could there be well-founded explanations for some of these behaviors? In the case of actions with no apparent explanation, speculate about how such an action became sanctioned and approved by the military.

Essay Topic 3

Despair is a constant threat in the novel. Many characters find unique ways to fight against despair and some are consumed by it. It is the source of strange behavior and adaptive strategies, and the cause of some seemingly suicidal actions.

Part 1) Explain the theme of despair as it occurs in the novel. How does this threat compare to other threats of trench life and warfare?

Part 2) Discuss some of the strategies some of the men develop to stave off despair. How well do these strategies fare. Explain examples of the men falling into complete despair.

Part 3) Using examples from the last chapters of the book, give a last analysis of the theme of despair. How much does it affect the men overall? How successful can they be, in the end, in fighting it off?

(see the answer keys)

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