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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. Pépin states that engages should not boast of having served unless they do which of the following?

2. What is Tirloir's nickname?

3. How does the narrator feel about the trench completed in Chapter 12?

4. Cocon is described as being which of the following?

5. What is Labri?

Short Essay Questions

1. What members of the squad are wounded, die, or are discovered dead after the assault on Hill 119?

2. How has the squad been reduced in numbers when Chapter 20 opens?

3. What religious references does the narrator make while escorting Joseph to safety?

4. What do most of the wounded in the refuge think about God?

5. Why does Eudore agree to take his five old friends with him when he goes to visit his wife?

6. What are the men's hopes and fears as their last day of leave approaches?

7. What happened to Joseph's brother, and how is his body found?

8. What do the men believe about 77mm shells, despite evidence to the contrary?

9. How adequate are the rations and wages issued to the men?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

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

Trench warfare features heavily in the novel, and brutality of a frontal assault on a trench is shown in detail in the title chapter, "Under Fire."

Part 1) Based on information from the book, describe the basics of trench warfare. Why are trenches necessary? How is a trench defended and assaulted?

Part 2) Cite examples from the book to show how successful frontal assaults against trenches usually are. What dangers does an assaulting force face on their approach to the trench?

Part 3) Describe the overall effectiveness of this kind of warfare. Based on the events of the novel, does this kind of warfare appear decisive?

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