Hemingway's World War I Quiz

Read the excerpt from Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms. "There is nothing worse than war.""Defeat is worse.""I do not believe it," Passini said. . . . "What is defeat? You go home.""They come after you. They take your home. They take your sisters.""I don't believe it," Passini said. "They can't do that to everybody. Let everybody defend his home. Let them keep their sisters in the house." This excerpt exemplifies how Hemingway's dialogues typically includes

a. common language and vague pronouns to refer to complex ideas.

Read the excerpt from Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms. The major asked me to have a drink with him and two other officers. We drank rum and it was very friendly. Outside it was getting dark. I asked what time the attack was to be and they said as soon as it was dark. The casual behavior of the characters during a difficult time demonstrates Hemingway's belief that a hero should

a. exhibit grace under pressure.

Read the excerpt from Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms. "They come after you. They take your home. They take your sisters.""I don't believe it," Passini said. "They can't do that to everybody. Let everybody defend his home. Let them keep their sisters in the house.""They hang you. They come and make you be a soldier again. Not in the auto-ambulance, in the infantry." The use of simple and vigorous words in A Farewell to Arms reflects

a. the harsh and powerful reality of war.

Based on A Farewell to Arms, how does Hemingway create realistic dialogue for his characters?

b. The characters use simple words and speak in short, clear sentences.

Read the excerpt from Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms. "I believe we should get the war over," I said. "It would not finish it if one side stopped fighting. It would only be worse if we stopped fighting.""It could not be worse," Passini said respectfully. "There is nothing worse than war.""Defeat is worse.""I do not believe it," Passini said still respectfully. "What is defeat? You go home.""They come after you. They take your home. They take your sisters.""I don't believe it," Passini said. "They can't do that to everybody. Let everybody defend his home. Let them keep their sisters in the house.""They hang you. They come and make you be a soldier again. Not in the auto-ambulance, in the infantry." What does Hemingway's indirect characterization of the narrator reveal?

b. The narrator recognizes that war is cruel, unjust, and inescapable.

Which best describes the purpose of style in writing?

c. to present information in a way appropriate to writers' audiences and purposes

Read the excerpt from Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms. The major asked me to have a drink with him and two other officers. We drank rum and it was very friendly. Outside it was getting dark. I asked what time the attack was to be and they said as soon as it was dark. I went back to the drivers. They were sitting in the dugout talking and when I came in they stopped. I gave them each a package of cigarettes, Macedonias, loosely packed cigarettes that spilled tobacco and needed to have the ends twisted before you smoked them. Manera lit his lighter and passed it around. The lighter was shaped like a Fiat radiator. I told them what I had heard. What does the excerpt reveal about the narrator?

d. He interacts easily with both his superiors and the drivers.

Read the excerpt from Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms. I talked with the major and learned that when it should start and our cars should be loaded we would drive them back along the screened road and up to the main road along the ridge where there would be a post and other cars to clear them .What effect does the style of this long sentence achieve?

d. The uninterrupted action mirrors how the orders will be carried out when the time comes.

Read the excerpt from Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms. Outside it was getting dark. I asked what time the attack was to be and they said as soon as it was dark. I went back to the drivers. They were sitting in the dugout talking and when I came in they stopped. I gave them each a package of cigarettes, Macedonias, loosely packed cigarettes that spilled tobacco and needed to have the ends twisted before you smoked them. Manera lit his lighter and passed it around. What about the actions of these men exemplifies them as Hemingway heroes?

d. They act casually and go about regular business, such as smoking, while actually in grave danger.

Read the excerpt from Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms. The major asked me to have a drink with him and two other officers. We drank rum and it was very friendly. Outside it was getting dark. I asked what time the attack was to be and they said as soon as it was dark. I went back to the drivers. They were sitting in the dugout talking and when I came in they stopped. I gave them each a package of cigarettes, Macedonias, loosely packed cigarettes that spilled tobacco and needed to have the ends twisted before you smoked them. Manera lit his lighter and passed it around. The lighter was shaped like a Fiat radiator. I told them what I had heard. Hemingway develops the narrator through

d. indirect characterization.