An Episode of War

1. What action is the lieutenant completing when he receives his injury?

A) cleaning and polishing his rifle

B) bandaging a wounded friend

C) dividing the coffee supply

D) eating his breakfast rations

2. What can the reader logically infer about the way the lieutenant is injured?

A) An enemy shooter fires from the woods nearby.

B) The recent battle resulted in him being shot.

C) A comrade accidentally shot him in the arm at close range.

D) He was shot days before but now suffers infection.

3. Of these, which detail best shows the lieutenant’s state of shock upon receiving the wound?

A) He begs loudly for help, becoming angry when no one rushes to aid him.

B) He grasps his sword by the blade, not the hilt, in his uninjured hand.

C) He starts walking toward the field hospital and ignores those in his path.

D) He removes his shirt and, despite its filth, uses it to bandage the wound.

4. Generally, how do the soldiers who witness the lieutenant being wounded react?

A) with nervous awe  

B) with anger and aggression

C) with vocalized sympathy

D) with horror and disgust

5. Why does the author say the lieutenant’s attempt to sheathe his sword is “worthy of a sawdust ring”?

A) The results of his attempt are comical and entertaining.

B) His effort requires the agility of a circus performer.

C) He almost succeeds several times but ultimately gives up.                    

D) Those nearby place quiet bets on his struggle.

6. In juxtaposition to the harsh “war chorus” of machinery passing by, of what is the lieutenant’s injured arm metaphorically made?

A) glass

B) metal

C) iron

D) fabric

7. Which of these lists best describes the images the lieutenant witnesses as he starts for the field hospital?

A) a lost orderly asking directions, a regiment in retreat, and a stream

B) two officers arguing, a carriage of mounted guns, and a riderless horse

C) piled corpses, an enemy division surrendering, and a priest

D) an aide bringing a message to a general, wild horses, and a battery

8. How does the lieutenant find his way to the field hospital?

A) He follows cart wheels, guessing they carried the wounded.

B) He encounters stragglers who know where the hospital is.

C) He asks a group of officers; one who is making coffee tells him.

D) He sees the crosses on the tents from a long distance away.

9. What is the tone of the officer who “appropriates” the lieutenant’s wound and wraps it?

A) jovial

B) somber

C) scolding

D) panicked

10. Which of these images best conveys the theme of the futility of war in the story?

A) the slow progress of the battery winding down the road

B) the two ambulance drivers blaming one another for the mud

C) the loneliness the lieutenant feels on his journey to the hospital

D) the flag bearer participating in the attempt to hold the line

11. Around what structure are the field hospital tents gathered? (short answer)

12. At what moment does the lieutenant’s meekness change?

A) when he hears the moans and curses of wounded men

B) when he arrives home after an unknown passage of time

C) when the officer tries to wrap his wounded arm

D) when the doctor tells him to submit for treatment

13. What does the lieutenant feel an urge to tell the man smoking a corncob pipe? (short answer)

14. Which best describes the attitude of the doctor at the hospital?

A) emotionless, then angry and bitter

B) serious, then relieved and joking

C) friendly, then contemptuous and scornful

D) irate, then patient and tolerant

15.  What message does the lieutenant vocalize in the last line of the story? (short answer)