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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. Who is sent with the narrator to find the missing Volpatte and Fouillade?

2. According to Cocon, each regiment includes how many non-combatants?

3. Where does Volpatte overhear the gossip of the gentlemen at the depot?

4. What is unusual about the road that the narrator and Poterloo take to get to Souchez?

5. "Trench Tourists" refers to which of the following?

Short Essay Questions

1. What unusual orders are given to the unit in Chapter 11?

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

3. During his six-day leave, how much time is Eudore able to share with his wife?

4. According to the author, what is important about the men writing letters home?

5. What are the preparations for the offensive on the French side?

6. What is the attitude of the men towards the journalists?

7. What is meant by the phrase that each poilu "carries his crowd along"?

8. What happens when the refuge is shelled by artillery?

9. What are some of the predictions made by the invalids?

10. How does Volpatte regard his wound? How do the other men regard it?

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

This novel is alleged to be semi auto-biographical, and there are strong hints that the narrator of the story is the author. Still, little is revealed about the narrator, although it is clear that he is not like the other men of the squad.

Part 1) Describe as many details about the narrator as possible. What are his personality traits? What is his background and history?

Part 2) Explain what sets the narrator apart from the other men of the squad. How is he different in speech, action, and thought? What does this say about his character?

Part 3) What evidence exists to suggest that the author and narrator are the same person? Is there any evidence to the contrary? What is the author's intent in this regard?

Part 4) Describe the literary intent of suggesting, but never confirming, that the narrator is the author.

Essay Topic 3

The machine gun is a feared weapon on the battlefield, and rightly so. Its effectiveness is seen in detail in the chapter "Under Fire," and the men discuss it on many occasions. It is the primary reason for the existence of trench warfare, and the cause of most of the misery on which the book centers. The machine gunners themselves represent an almost élite class in the army, being specially favored targets for retribution and looting, and receiving a variety of favors from their own side.

Part 1) Use information from the book to explain what a machine gun is and its impact on warfare in the time of the novel.

Part 2) Explain the men's perceptions and fears about machine guns. Cite specific examples to justify or disprove these perceptions.

Part 3) Discuss some of the ways that machine gunners are treated differently from other soldiers, both by their own forces and by the enemy. Why do these men receive this treatment?

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