The discovery that the men we had scorned as peasant guerrillas were, in fact, a lethal, determined enemy and the casualty lists
that lengthened each week with nothing to show for the blood being spilled broke our early confidence. According to the excerpt, the soldiers
A. felt that their efforts were not successful.
B. failed because of their lack of self-belief.
C. showed no apprehension about facing the enemy.
D. were proud of their own strength and determination.
The best option is letter A) felt their efforts were not successful.
Explanation:
The excerpt we are analyzing here was taken from a memoir called "A Rumor of War" by Philip Caputo. Caputo recalls his experience at the Vietnam War and how he believes America's involvement in it was all for nothing.
As we can tell from the excerpt, soldiers did not seem well prepared at first. They misjudged their enemy, thinking of them as mere "peasant guerrillas". The enemies turned out to be lethal, and more and more American soldiers died each week. That "broke [their] confidence", which means they felt their efforts were not successful. In the book, the author even says he wishes he had different war stories to tell instead of the ones he actually lived. Battles in Vietnam were exhausting and never-ending; the enemy was seemingly undefeatable, hiding in jungles filled with traps and snipers.
