Grenade

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-book review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following words does Hideki initially associate with the kamikazes?

A) Betrayal

B) Bravery

C) Banality

D) Bewilderment

2. How does history repeat itself in Ray’s family?

A) Ray and his brother were injured in war

B) Ray’s father and grandfather deserted their command units

C) Ray and his father ran off to enlist during wartime

D) Ray and his father acted as staunch anti-war activists

3. In his conversation with Sergeant Meredith, Ray realizes that “he had seen that stare before in his father’s eyes, like he was focused on something a long way off that nobody else could see. Ray knew that’s when his Pa had been remembering his time in the First World War. Over in his foxhole, the Old Man was doing it now.” Which of the following phrases best describes Ray’s observation of military veterans?

A) A desire to serve one’s country

B) A fear of death and destruction

C) A longing to continue fighting

D) A response to a traumatic situation

4. Which of the following sentiments is Ray worried about losing throughout the novel?

A) His ability to feel emotion

B) His desire to bring peace

C) His quest for justice

D) His concern for the Korean people

5. In Chapter 14, Ray observes, “The rain was still pouring down, like heaven was crying for President Roosevelt, and for everyone they’d lost so far in the war.” Which of the following literary terms is used in this quote?

A) Paradox

B) Metaphor

C) Personification

D) Metonymy

6. Which of the following themes does Gratz touch upon throughout the novel?

A) The importance of friendships with your superiors

B) The carelessness of deaths in war

C) The shame of emasculation in WWII

D) The imbalance of gender in the military

7. Which of the following phrases best describes why Ray’s father attacked him with a knife?

A) A trigger from his PTSD

B) A relapse from substance abuse

C) A decision to end his son’s life

D) A tantrum from Ray’s decision to enlist

8. What is a major difference between Big John and Ray?

A) While Ray is careless in his killing sprees, Big John reminds him not to kill civilians

B) While Big John is overly sensitive to the trauma of war, Ray becomes heartless

C) While Ray is concerned with the differences between Okinawans and Japanese, Big John is not

D) While Big John takes time to learn Japanese, Ray refuses to speak anything but English

9. Which word do the characters continuously use to describe how it feels to be close to death?

A) Ghost

B) Zombie

C) Animal

D) Corpse

10. In Chapter 21, Hideki narrowly escapes the Japanese lieutenant through an air shaft. Afterwards:

Hideki cried for the Okinawans he’d watched get strapped with explosives. He cried for the Japanese soldiers who lay dying in the cave. He cried out of sheer exhaustion. He even cried for the awful lieutenant. Hideki cried until he had no more tears to shed, and then the Okinawan sky cried for him, raining down its own cold tears.

Which of the following combinations of literary terms are used in this quote?

A) Anaphora and allusion

B) Simile and personification

C) Allusion and simile

D) Anaphora and personification

11. What is unique about Chapter 23?

A) It is written in the past tense.

B) It focuses on Big John’s perspective.

C) It switches between the two protagonists’ narrations.

D) It is a flashback to Japan before 1939.

12. Which of the following words best describes how Hideki views Private Maeda?

A) With suspicion

B) With adoration

C) With concern

D) With apathy

13. As Hideki continues his journey south, what does he become more and more preoccupied with finding?

A) Water

B) Food

C) Bandages

D) Shoes

14. Which word does Gratz consistently use to discuss the direction in which people walk?

A) Zigzag

B) Loop-de-loop

C) Cul-de-sac

D) Squiggly

15. According to Hideki, which emotion turns people into monsters?

A) Anger

B) Desire

C) Contentment

D) Fear

Long-Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. Describe the novel’s narrative style from beginning to end. What point does Gratz make about protagonists and antagonists through the narrative style of Grenade?

2. Describe the setting of the novel. How does the physical location advance the plot? Why is it important?