A Separate Peace

Grade Levels

Excerpt

I. Vocabulary: Define the following terms, found in chapter one.

a) indivisible b) vagaries c)unemphatically d) declaimed e) multifariously f) disillusioned g) browbeaten h) cacophony

II. Questions for Review: Answer in complete sentences. You should use references from the text to support each answer.

• Why does Gene have difficulty connecting to the reality of the war at first?
• Why does Leper’s enlistment make the war even less realistic than it was before?
• What attracted Leper to the war? Why did he decide to enlist when he did?
• Explain Leper’s theory that the war is a test.
• Why do you think there are so many “threats to enlist” at Devon that winter?
• What is the reaction of the rest of the school to Leper’s enlistment?
• Why didn’t Phineas want Gene to hang out with Brinker and the Butt Room crowd?
• What is Finny’s big idea for that winter? How does he pull it off?
• What makes Brinker agree to join in on the carnival planning?
• How does someone get to be popular at Devon? Who was the one exception to that rule?
• How does the winter carnival explain the title of the novel?
• What happens to end the fun of the carnival? How does this represent the world around them?

For the teacher: Suggestions on Student Answers to Review Questions. NOTE: These are simply a guideline; individual student answers will vary.

• Gene is having fun at Devon, so it’s hard for him to see through that enjoyment to the horrors of the war outside Devon’s walls.
• Leper isn’t a typical soldier; his enlistment seems like it really MUST be a fake war, because no real war would ever get Leper to join it.
• The ski patrol attracted Leper; he decided he’d rather enlist and get to choose where he went, rather than waiting to be drafted and put into a group he didn’t want to be in.
• Answers will vary – the war is like the first big thing that has happened to their generation; their ability to weather that war is like a test of their evolution and endurance.
• Saying you’re going to enlist is the cool thing to do during that time; it makes you sound like a patriot and a courageous soldier. But in reality, very few had the courage of their convictions so they never actually enlisted.
• The rest of them turn Leper into the face of the war. Whenever they talk about major battles or victories, they pretend that Leper was at the front lines through all of it.
• Phineas wants to continue to pretend that the war isn’t happening, and he wants Gene to do it, too. So he doesn’t want Gene to hang out in the Butt Room, where all they ever talk about is the war.
• Finny wants to hold a winter carnival; he is able to con his way into it the way he cons everything else.
• Brinker has gotten bitter, and turned into a rebel. So he is attracted by the rulebreaking elements of the carnival.
• Usually, the popular guys are rude and/or edgy; they act superior to the rest of the guys. Finny is the only one who was both popular AND nice.
• The carnival is a brief moment of happiness in the midst of a war; it is an example of the kind of freedom and peace the boys were able to maintain just before growing into the adult world and joining up with the horrors of war.
• Leper’s telegram ends the fun. His abandonment of the war breaks down all their previous theories of his heroism. Just like with every other bit of enjoyment during that time, the war found its way in and took away the peace.

About

This is a review sheet for chapter 9 of A Separate Peace. It includes vocabulary terms and questions for review/discussion.