Review - "Ambush" by Tim O'Brien

How can the man in black clothing BEST be characterized? a) As a dynamic character b) As a flat character c) As a protagonist d) As a round character

b) As a flat character

What physical trait of the man's body caught the narrator's attention? a) his little feet b) his star shaped eye injury c) his stooped shoulders d) his big ear

b) his star shaped eye injury

The narrator explains that he threw the grenade because he was a) in a state of panic b) ordered to do so c) acting reflexively d) frightened in the jungle

c) acting reflexively

What is the narrator's motivation for pulling the grenades' pin? a) Fear b) Anger c) Curiosity d) Revenge

a) Fear

What method of characterization is not used in the story? a) Private thoughts b) Actions c) Dialogue d) Direction Characterization

d) Direction Characterization

What can we infer about the narrator at the end of the story? a) He is haunted by what he has done b) he never thinks of war c) He lies all the time d) He has a bad memory

a) He is haunted by what he has done

What can we infer from the first paragraph of the story that the narrator feels conflict about? a) Whether he will tell his daughter the truth. b) Why he was in the war c) How he killed the man d) Why he writes war stories

a) Whether he will tell his daughter the truth.

In writing this memoir, why do you think the narrator focus on the gory details of the soldiers death? a) because the narrator's feelings, after the war was over, are still affecting him. b) because he is seeing the ghost and cannot write about it. c) because he is a liar. d) because all his friends hate him and nobody will publish his stories.

a) because the narrator's feelings, after the war was over, are still affecting him.

The interaction that occurred between O'Brien and the soldier can best be described as a/an a) cause and effect b) allegory c) epithet d) hyperbole

a) cause and effect

As he, the narrator, retells the story of his first kill, what tone is prevalent? a) dream like b) realistic c) uplifting d) inspiring

a) dream like

One indication that the narrator hasn't forgiven himself yet is the fact that he a) imagines seeing the young man b) has kept the story from his daughter c) has decided to ignore Kiowa's advice d) sits alone in his room far too often

a) imagines seeing the young man

What time of day does the ambush take place? a) morning b) afternoon c) early evening d) midnight e) dinner time

a) morning

Ethos means a) the moral element in dramatic literature that determines a character's action rather than his or her thought or emotion. b) the quality or power in an actual life experience or in literature, music, speech, or other forms of expression, of evoking a feeling of pity, or of sympathetic and kindly sorrow or compassion. c) the rational principle that governs and develops the universe. The divine word or reason incarnate in Jesus Christ. John 1:1-14. d) None of the above

a) the moral element in dramatic literature that determines a character's action rather than his or her thought or emotion.

The flashback in this story can best be described as a) triggered by a human interaction but followed by lonely reflection b) initiated by Kathleen's question and concluded at Kiowa's request c) occurring whenever the narrator is reading a paper or sitting alone in a room d) initiated by Kathleen's question and concluded at her request

a) triggered by a human interaction but followed by lonely reflection

What appeal did O'Brien use the most while relaying his story? a) ethos b) pathos c) logos

b) pathos

Pathos means a) the moral element in dramatic literature that determines a character's action rather than his or her thought or emotion. b) the quality or power in an actual life experience or in literature, music, speech, or other forms of expression, of evoking a feeling of pity, or of sympathetic and kindly sorrow or compassion. c) the rational principle that governs and develops the universe. The divine word or reason incarnate in Jesus Christ. John 1:1-14.

b) the quality or power in an actual life experience or in literature, music, speech, or other forms of expression, of evoking a feeling of pity, or of sympathetic and kindly sorrow or compassion.

Who is the main character of the story? a) Kathleen b) Kiowa c) The narrator d) The platoon

c) The narrator

Why didn't O'Brien tell his daughter that he had killed someone during the war? a) she never asked b) it was too difficult for him to talk about c) she was too young, and he didn't want her opinion of him to change d) because it was a military operation, the information was classified

c) she was too young, and he didn't want her opinion of him to change

Logos means a) the moral element in dramatic literature that determines a character's action rather than his or her thought or emotion. b) the quality or power in an actual life experience or in literature, music, speech, or other forms of expression, of evoking a feeling of pity, or of sympathetic and kindly sorrow or compassion. c) the rational principle that governs and develops the universe. The divine word or reason incarnate in Jesus Christ. John 1:1-14.

c) the rational principle that governs and develops the universe. The divine word or reason incarnate in Jesus Christ. John 1:1-14.

What do you feel the narrator could do to end his own torment about killing a man? Would you accept Kiowa's comment: a) "the man would've died anyway and to understand that it was a good kill." b) "to understand that he was a soldier and that was a war." c) "To shape up and stop staring and ask himself what the dead man would've done if things were reverse." d) All of the above.

d) All of the above.

Ambush is a "Memoir" because it is a) a record of events written by a person having intimate knowledge of them and based on personal observation. b) an account of one's personal life and experiences; autobiography, a biography or biographical sketch. c) a song d) a record of an event, an autobiography, and biographical sketch.

d) a record of an event, an autobiography, and biographical sketch.

The fog represents the narrator's inner conflict in the story; because, it shows a) the emotional distance between the narrator and his daughter b) the difficulty of seeing enemy soldiers when alone in the darkness c) a typical condition that soldiers faced everywhere in Vietnam d) the lack of clarity during and after the central event of the story

d) the lack of clarity during and after the central event of the story

How do Kiowa's comments on what happened affect the narrator's inner conflict? a) they help the narrator realize that the young man might have done the same, so they comfort him b) they give the narrator more to thinking about and thus deepen his internal conflict c) they label the action a "good kill", lessening the narrator's internal conflict d) they make no difference whatsoever; the narrator's conflict is undiminished

d) they make no difference whatsoever; the narrator's conflict is undiminished

What does the story reveal about some US soldiers in the war? a) they felt patriotic b) they fought against communism c) they hated the Vietnamese d) they were unprepared for the emotional challenges e) they were too old to be fighting

d) they were unprepared for the emotional challenges