AnswersEnglish IIIVietnam Literary Journalism

Vietnam Literary Journalism — Quiz Answers

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1
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Which excerpt from Dispatches contains sensory language to describe the geography of Vietnam?

A
There would be the muted rush of illumination rounds, fired from 60-mm. mortars inside the wire, dropping magnesium-brilliant above the NVA trenches for a few seconds, outlining the gaunt, flat spread of the mahogany trees, giving the landscape a ghastly clarity and dying out.
B
It was awesome, worse than anything the Lord had ever put down on Egypt, and at night, you’d hear the Marines talking, watching it, yelling, “Get some!” until they grew quiet and someone would say, “Spooky understands.” The nights were very beautiful.
C
Once in a while—I guess I saw it happen three or four times in all—there would be a secondary explosion, a direct hit on a supply of NVA ammunition. And at night it was beautiful. Even the incoming was beautiful at night, beautiful and deeply dreadful.
D
Nights were when the air and artillery strikes were heaviest because that was when we knew that the NVA was above ground and moving. At night you could lie out on some sandbags and watch the C-47’s mounted with Vulcans doing their work.
2
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Read the excerpt from A Rumor of War . By autumn, what had begun as an adventurous expedition had turned into an exhausting, indecisive war of attrition in which we fought for no cause other than our own survival. Based on the excerpt, the narrator

A
understands how important wars can be to a culture after he experiences one firsthand.
B
believes the reasons for fighting become muted over time and eventually all that matters is staying alive.
C
understands that he has a specific responsibility but is frightened to be a part of the war effort.
D
believes there are instances when violence is a necessary evil, despite its unpleasantness.
3

Read the excerpt from A Rumor of War . We left Vietnam peculiar creatures, with young shoulders that bore rather old heads. What is the author attempting to convey to the reader using sensory language?

A
While their bodies were young, their minds were old.
B
Physical damage caused psychological damage.
C
Only old men were allowed to fight in the war.
D
Injuries caused veterans to age more quickly.
4

Read the excerpt from A Rumor of War . Weeks of bottled-up tensions would be released in a few minutes of orgiastic violence, men screaming and shouting obscenities above the explosions of grenades and the rapid, rippling bursts of automatic rifles. In this excerpt, the author uses imagery to describe

A
the soldiers’ feelings of fear.
B
the chaos and frenzy of war.
C
the pain and anguish of war.
D
the soldiers’ feelings of relief.
5

Read the excerpt from A Rumor of War . Repeatedly, I have found myself wishing that I had been the veteran of a conventional war, with dramatic campaigns and historic battles for subject matter instead of a monotonous succession of ambushes and firefights. Which best describes the purpose of the paradox in the excerpt?

A
to emphasize the difficulties faced by soldiers in untraditional warfare
B
to illustrate the hardships faced by soldiers who have fought in wars
C
to demonstrate how bored the narrator felt while serving in Vietnam
D
to highlight the complexities of more traditional warfare and weaponry
6

Read the excerpt from A Rumor of War . Repeatedly, I have found myself wishing that I had been the veteran of a conventional war, with dramatic campaigns and historic battles for subject matter instead of a monotonous succession of ambushes and firefights. But there were no Normandies and Gettysburgs for us, no epic clashes that decided the fates of armies or nations. The war was mostly a matter of enduring weeks of expectant waiting and, at random intervals, of conducting vicious manhunts through jungles and swamps where snipers harassed us constantly and booby traps cut us down one by one. Based on the excerpt, why might the author have titled the book A Rumor of War ?

A
because the author wrote about the Vietnam War, but he did not actually fight in it
B
because many of the Vietnam War stories are believed to be untrue and exaggerated
C
because many people have forgotten the events that happened during the Vietnam War
D
because the Vietnam War was fought in an especially brutal and untraditional way
7

How does the structure of A Rumor of War reflect the pace of the war?

A
Short sentences used throughout the passage imitate the startling haste with which buildings were bombed.
B
Long paragraphs used at the beginning of the passage reflect the longer battles that occurred near the beginning of the war.
C
Short paragraphs used throughout the passage reflect how quickly the war began and ended.
D
Long flowing sentences are followed by choppier sentences that reflect the quick guerrilla attacks that interrupted the long hikes.
8

Which excerpt from A Rumor of War best illustrates Vietnam’s uncomfortable climate?

A
By autumn, what had begun as an adventurous expedition had turned into an exhausting, indecisive war of attrition in which we fought for no cause other than our own survival.
B
But there were no Normandies and Gettysburgs for us, no epic clashes that decided the fates of armies or nations. The war was mostly a matter of enduring weeks of expectant waiting and, at random intervals, of conducting vicious manhunts through jungles and swamps where snipers harassed us constantly and booby traps cut us down one by one.
C
The tedium was occasionally relieved by a large-scale search-and-destroy operation, but the exhilaration of riding the lead helicopter into a landing zone was usually followed by more of the same hot walking, with the mud sucking at our boots and the sun thudding against our helmets while an invisible enemy shot at us from distant tree lines.
D
Weeks of bottled-up tensions would be released in a few minutes of orgiastic violence, men screaming and shouting obscenities above the explosions of grenades and the rapid, rippling bursts of automatic rifles.
9

Read the excerpt from A Rumor of War . The tedium was occasionally relieved by a large-scale search-and-destroy operation, but the exhilaration of riding the lead helicopter into a landing zone was usually followed by more of the same hot walking, with the mud sucking at our boots and the sun thudding against our helmets while an invisible enemy shot at us from distant tree lines. The paradox in the excerpt illustrates the idea that

A
the heat was more difficult to overcome than the enemy.
B
danger could alleviate the monotony of war.
C
walking was often necessary after flying.
D
the soldiers could not see their enemies.
10

Which excerpt from A Rumor of War contains the best example of sensory language?

A
Having been among the first Americans to fight in Vietnam, I was also among the last to be evacuated, only a few hours before the North Vietnamese Army entered the capital.
B
America seemed omnipotent then: the country could still claim it had never lost a war, and we believed we were ordained to play cop to the Communists’ robber and spread our own political faith around the world.
C
The discovery that the men we had scorned as peasant guerrillas were, in fact, a lethal, determined enemy and the casualty lists that lengthened each week with nothing to show for the blood being spilled broke our early confidence.
D
Weeks of bottled-up tensions would be released in a few minutes of orgiastic violence, men screaming and shouting obscenities above the explosions of grenades and the rapid, rippling bursts of automatic rifles.

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