ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT

 

    Comprehension Questions – Chapter 6

 

 

  1. What do you see as the soldiers march to the front? 

 

  1. Why do they joke about the rows of coffins?

 

  1. Why are Paul and the others in low spirits?  How have they been affected by friendly fire?  Is “friendly fire” still a problem in modern warfare?

 

  1. Why does Paul say that “the front is a cage” (pg. 101)  Why does Paul believe in Chance?  Do you?

 

  1. How – and why – do the men “make war on the rats?” 

 

  1. What causes the young recruit to begin to “crack?”  What chain of events does this set in motion?

 

  1. What do you think would have happened if Paul and Kat had ignored his raving?  Why do you think some soldiers suffer mental collapse during battle and others do  not?

 

  1. As horrible as warfare is, and as exhausted as Paul and the others are, why don’t they just drop and lie where they fall? 

 

 

  1. Which soldiers are being fed better? – the Germans or their enemies?  What does this say about the Germans’ prospects for winning the war? 

 

  1. What memories from childhood sweep over Paul?  Why do you suppose these memories are always so quiet and calm?   Why is quietness unattainable at the front? (pg. 121)  What is the significance of the contrast between that observation and the title phrase?

 

  1. Why do the soldiers hunt for copper-diving bands and silk parachutes? 

 

  1. What happens when Himmelstoss panics and refuses to fight?  Why is the lieutenant successful in galvanizing him where Paul is not?

 

  1. How do you feel at the end of this chapter?  Horrified?  Disgusted?  Numb?  Did you feel that you were “there” on the battlefield – or that you had been kept at a distance from the action?