Hacksaw Ridge | 10 Question Movie Multiple Choice Quiz

Answer: A brick

Desmond and Hal were rough housing in the yard outside their home, with their father looking on and telling their mother that he would only have to punish the winner. Suddenly, Desmond picked up a brick and struck Hal on the head, causing the latter to drop to the ground. While his mother fussed over Hal and father started to remove his belt (to whip Desmond), Desmond studied the wall hanging of the Ten Commandments, lingering on "Thou shalt not kill". Hal survived his injury and later joined the Army after the US entered WWII.

The young brothers were played by Darcy Bryce (Desmond) and Roman Guerriero (Hal). Rachel Griffiths portrayed mother, Bertha, and Hugo Weaving was Tom Doss, their father.

Answer: Belleau Wood

Tom Doss mentioned having served at Belleau Wood, in France, when he dressed in his Great War uniform to ask a general with whom he had served to intercede on Desmond's behalf when the latter was about to be court martialed for standing up for his beliefs. The elder Doss had lost most of his friends in the Great War, and had turned to alcohol to ease his pain. He could be a belligerent drunk, and became quite upset when Hal enlisted. Desmond's aversion to firearms was strengthened by one drunken episode. Tom did, however, do his best to help Desmond when the time came.

The three incorrect choices were battles in other wars in which the USA was involved: the Spanish-American War (San Juan Hill), WWII (Iwo Jima) and Vietnam (Khe Sanh).

Answer: At the local hospital

Desmond was working inside his church when he witnessed an accident just outside. A car had fallen on a young man and his leg was bleeding severely, so Desmond used his own belt to fashion a tourniquet. He and another took the victim to hospital in a pickup truck. The doctor praised Desmond for his work, and while he waited to retrieve his belt, Desmond spied a young nurse, who turned out to be Dorothy. She was taking blood from donors, and Desmond promptly volunteered to donate some of his. When he returned the next day, Dorothy told him he couldn't donate again so soon, and they ended up going to see a movie together.

The adult Desmond was played by Andrew Garfield, and Teresa Palmer played Dorothy Schutte.

Answer: Seventh Day Adventist

Desmond mentioned his affiliation with the Seventh Day Adventist church when he was explaining to his superiors in the Army why he could not work on Saturday, which was the Sabbath for Seventh Day Adventists. This was in addition to his refusal to carry a rifle or take a life. He explained that he wanted to serve and do his duty, and had therefore volunteered, but that he saw his way of serving to be as a medic, not a rifleman.

Captain Glover (played by Sam Worthington) and Sergeant Howell (Vince Vaughn) tried to 'persuade' Desmond to leave the army, by refusing leave and giving him all the worst jobs to do in camp. His fellow soldiers (most of them) called him a coward and even beat him up, but Desmond refused to give in. He completed training and qualified in all respects (other than marksmanship) to serve.

Answer: Refusing to obey a direct order

Although Desmond had qualified in all other respects and was due to marry Dorothy during his leave, his refusal to even touch a rifle was too much for his colonel, who ordered him to take another soldier's rifle and show that he was qualified in all respects. Desmond's refusal to do so resulted in a charge of insubordination, and led to a hearing as a preliminary to court martial.

It is at this hearing that Tom Doss appeared in uniform, bringing a letter from his own former commanding officer which stated that a conscientious objector, such as Desmond, was protected by an Act of Congress from being ordered to do anything that contradicted his beliefs. The charges were dropped, Desmond married Dorothy and continued his training to qualify as a medic.

Answer: Okinawa

A subtitle identified the setting for the coming fight, and Desmond's gallantry, as "Okinawa May 1945". As the incoming soldiers advanced, they passed trucks full of dead and wounded soldiers, returning from earlier attempts to take Hacksaw Ridge. The ridge itself presented as an almost sheer cliff-face, which the attackers ascended by means of cargo nets, usually used for disembarking from troopships.

Desmond had been kept busy attending to the wounded and helping them back to the cliffside so they could be lowered and taken to an aid station. During a night spent in a foxhole with one of his former tormentors, Smitty (Luke Bracey), the latter had admitted to having been wrong about Desmond.

Although they had some initial success, and spent a night dug in on top of the ridge, a Japanese counter-attack drove the Americans back the next day. When they reached the bottom of the ridge, it was discovered that close to a hundred men had been left behind, dead or wounded. One man had stayed purposely, to help those others. This was Desmond Doss.

Answer: For the strength to help one more

Those left at the foot of the cliff quickly realised what was happening, and organised transport to the aid station for the wounded men Desmond was lowering down to them. Doss was seen to become exhausted as he worked, but kept muttering his prayer, to be able to save "just one more". His eventual tally of men saved, one at a time, was 75.

Answer: No

Unable to see, the soldier fired his weapon toward Desmond thinking he was an enemy soldier. Desmond avoided being hit and identified himself, after which he bathed the soldier's eyes with water. The man blinked, broke into a smile and declared that he had thought he was blind.

In a clip at the very end of the film, the real Desmond Doss, by then an old man, related the story of helping the man who thought he was blind, stating that the way that man's face lit up when he realised he could see was very satisfying.

Answer: To fashion a litter

Howell commented that it was a bit late for Desmond to decide to get into the fight, but Doss had no intention of firing the rifle. Instead he used it as a handle to pull Howell across the ground on a makeshift litter (possibly using a poncho or groundsheet). The Japanese were coming up fast, and Howell sat on the litter firing his weapon at them while Desmond sprinted for the cliff. They went over together on the rope, and the soldiers below gave them covering fire.

Captain Glover had by that time learned from some of the rescued soldiers what Doss had done, and like the others had revised his opinion of Desmond.

Answer: By a grenade

A short time later, another attempt to take Hacksaw Ridge was made, with Desmond and his unit again participating, after Desmond had said a prayer for them. Captain Glover made sure he had time to finish his prayer. On top once again, some enemy soldiers pretended to surrender, then threw grenades at the Americans. Desmond kicked one away from the captain and himself, but a second one exploded, wounding Doss. One of his friends retrieved his Bible (that Dorothy had given him) and made sure Desmond had it before he himself was lowered to safety.

The Ridge was taken, and Desmond recovered to receive the Medal of Honor from the hands of President Truman, the first conscientious objector to be so honored. Newsreel footage of this event was used in the film, showing the real Desmond T. Doss being decorated.