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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. How old is Tim O'Brien when he wrote the book?

2. "Hump it" means what?

3. What does he call the object around his neck?

4. How does Tim join the army?

5. How many monks are there to help the men with camp?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the incident of the broken noses affect the relationship between Dave Jensen and Lee Strunk?

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

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

4. Why was Curt Lemon afraid of the dentist?

5. 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?

6. Why do Jimmy Cross and Tim O'Brien stop drinking coffee, and what do they switch to?

7. When Lee Strunk returns from sick bay, how does Dave Jensen react?

8. How would you describe Martha's "separate-but-together quality" her and Lieutenant Cross share? What does she send to represent this quality?

9. Why do the men like checkers?

10. What would you guess happened during the war that Jimmy asked Tim to leave out of his book?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

"The Things They Carried" tackles the theme of death in numerous ways. There are accountings of anticipated deaths, surprise deaths, and even brushes with near-death. Explore how the novel handles each type of death, and the overall message the book communicates about this universal theme. Be sure to cite specific textual evidence.

Essay Topic 2

The "Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong" addresses the theme of acceptance and persons becoming a product of their environment. Explain the transformation Mary Anne Bell goes through from her arrival in Vietnam until her ultimate disappearance, and compare it to some other experience of characters or real-life people becoming the product of their environment.

Essay Topic 3

Most novels have critic blurbs on the cover or in media advertising for the book. Choose one critic's blurb about "The Things They Carried" and respond to the quote. Do you agree or disagree with the critic's assessment of the novel, and where is there evidence in the novel to support your point of view?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 972 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample