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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. How does O'Neill refer to Ponder's participation in the Swift Boat Veterans Reunion?

2. How many of Kerry's commanders signed the open letter from the Swiftees?

3. Which one of the following does Hoffman question about Kerry in the Introduction?

4. Who received a polite applause at the Swift Boat Veterans Reunion, according to O'Neill?

5. What state was the Swift Boat Veterans Reunion held in?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are Hoffman's thoughts about Kerry, and why do the authors choose to begin the book with his quote?

2. How much skepticism should be used when reading Unfit for Command, and how does the Introduction reduce or even eliminate it?

3. How is Lupetti's observation in Vietnam relevant to Kerry and the ideas about him that the book outlines?

4. Why were the Swiftees not surprised by Kerry's actions before the Swift Boat Veterans Reunion?

5. What is the main question that O'Neill and Corsi hope to answer about John Kerry, and what does the question mean?

6. Why do the authors make it a point to mention that their purpose for writing the book is not political?

7. Who is Roy F. Hoffman and why is his opinion regarded so highly?

8. How do the authors plan to answer the questions they pose at the end of the Introduction, and are their methods effective?

9. What is the reaction of Kerry at the Swift Boats Veterans Reunion in 2003 and why is it significant?

10. How many signatures are on the open letter to Kerry by the Swift Boat veterans, and why is that important for the book's main point?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the purpose for Kerry's earlier book, The New Soldier. What did the language in the book display or reiterate about Kerry's dislike for the military? Describe the picture in The New Soldier that was offensive. Why was the book banished and what does Kerry do to prevent people from reading it? What are Kerry's motivations?

Essay Topic 2

Why is it important for the authors to establish that their motives for writing the book are not political? Describe 2 examples of how they accomplish this. What does the time in which the book was released have to do with their effort to distance themselves from politics? How might their points be taken less seriously if they represented a candidate or had a political agenda? How is their case strengthened by focusing only on Kerry's war background and his inability to be the Commander in Chief?

Essay Topic 3

Describe Kerry's actions in the sampan incident. What was the setting for it and why is that relevant? What should Kerry have done differently? What were the results of his actions and the significance of the people in the sampan? In an attempt to explain the situation, who does Kerry blame? How did Kerry report the incident and what were his reasons for doing so? Why is the sampan incident one of the most effective examples of how the authors' opinion of Kerry is substantiated?

(see the answer keys)

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