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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. Which item doubled as a body bag?

2. What holiday did Curt Lemon celebrate with the villagers?

3. "Hump it" means what?

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

5. What does Rat Kiley do first to the baby water buffalo?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Curt Lemon recover from his personal failure at the dentist?

2. What is Henry's reaction to his girlfriend dumping him?

3. What caused Henry Dobbins to rule out a career as a minister?

4. What was the story for Mitchell Sander's moral of "Nobody listens?"

5. How does the narrator feel about the war in Vietnam?

6. Give an example of a stark contrast between how the men normally behave, and how the war changes their behavior.

7. How does Lieutenant Cross resolve his responsibility in Ted Lavender's death?

8. What happens to make the platoon believe in the good luck provided by the pantyhose?

9. Who was Elroy Berdahl and what is his significance to the narrator?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

"The Things They Carried: A Work of Fiction" is described as 22 short stories tied into a novel. Select a chapter from the novel and explain how the title relates to the story, and evaluate if the chapter could stand alone as a short story. Identify its weaknesses and strengths and how it fulfills or fails to satisfy the requirements of a story: beginning, middle and end.

Essay Topic 2

As a new book critic for a top national newspaper, you have just been assigned the novel "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien. Give a full critique of the story and evaluation of the text for other potential readers. What is significant about the novel that makes it a good recommendation for readers? What detracts from the novel's appeal and makes it not a book you would recommend? Finally, is there any way the book ties into modern life and current events to make it timely?

Essay Topic 3

"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.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,098 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample