A Separate Peace

Grade Levels

Excerpt

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

a) aesthete

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

1. How does Gene believe that the bomb saved his life?

2. Why didn’t Gene see any “real action” during his time in the war?

3. Why does Gene want to believe in a hopeful situation at Leper’s? What is the hopeful conclusion he draws to explain Leper’s escape?

4. Why do you think Leper spends all of his time in the “useful” dining room?

5. Gene says that Leper’s angry words would not “have been said by the Leper of the beaver dam” (p. 143). Why do you think that is?

6. Why did Gene stay at Leper’s house for dinner?

7. Why do you think Gene gets so angry when Leper explains how he became a “psycho” in the war?

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

1. He entered the war after the bomb was used, and at that point there wasn’t much action left. So he was lucky not to have to be in the thick of the fighting.

2. He was just young enough not to enter the war until after the majority of the fighting was over. There wasn’t much left to do by the time he enlisted.

3. Leper represents the future for all of them. He went where they will have to go one day (the war). So they all want to believe that things will work out for Leper; because if they work out for Leper, they’ll work out for everyone else, too. Gene wants to believe that Leper was captured by spies and escaped from the enemy captivity rather than escaping, or defecting, from his own Army.

4. It is hard for Leper to be home, to acknowledge that he has left the responsibility of the war and his role in it. The living room is a place to sit around and think, with nothing to do but face up to what has happened. The dining room is a useful room where you can expect 3 meals a day, so it is easier for him to sit there and wait for the next meal than to sit somewhere else and face the reality of his situation.

5. He acknowledges the change that has occurred in Leper. Leper used to be one to let life pass him by, content with his own little pleasures. Now, he has become an active participant, an angry and bitter ex-soldier who has been changed by his military experience.

6. Two reasons: 1. To find out what had really happened to Leper; 2. To assuage his guilt over kicking Leper earlier.

7. Again, Leper presents a possible glimpse into Gene’s own future. He can see how Leper’s moments of insanity mirrored his own moments of hatred toward Finny, the incident in the tree, etc. Also, if Leper is a shadow of what Gene might become, he doesn’t want to face the full reality of that situation yet.

About

This is a review sheet for chapter 10 of A Separate Peace. It includes vocabulary terms and questions for review/discussion.