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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. If you follow the dink, you stay in the _____________.

2. What object is Mitchell Sanders described with each time he is talking?

3. How did Jimmy Cross get another photograph of Martha?

4. Who are the men order to see?

5. How is Henry Dobbins described by the narrator?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did things start when Mary Anne first arrived, and how did they change?

2. Explain how the rhyme "Step out of line, hit a mine; follow the dink, you're in the pink." changed meanings?

3. How were Lieutenant Cross's tears misinterpreted after the death of Ted Lavender?

4. Why did the men have to see the dentist?

5. Give examples of how the men dealt with death.

6. Who did you think was the victim as you read the chapter, and who did you think was the victim once you finished it? Why?

7. Why do you think Martha never married?

8. Why does Rat Kiley write a letter to Curt Lemon's sister, and what does the letter contain?

9. Why was Curt Lemon afraid of the dentist?

10. Explain why you think Dave Jensen is so upset someone stole from him.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Can you identify with Kathleen's struggle to understand the war? She asks in the chapter titled "Field Trip" why her father had to fight in the Vietnam War, and what made everyone mad at each other? Do you think wars are generally started over clear issues of disagreement? In either case, do you think that affects the ability of the war to have a resolution?

Essay Topic 2

We know very little about the character named Azar, but he appears always present to antagonize the other men in the platoon. Explain how Azar is a flat or round character, his role in the novel, and if there are any other characters like him in "The Things They Carried."

Essay Topic 3

The story of Kiowa's death is told from at least two different point of views. Using all textual evidence and your own assumptions, what do you think really happened? What was the role of Norman Bowker, Lieutenant Cross, and Tim O'Brien? Who is the most responsible for Kiowa's death?

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