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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 information is the letter Henry Dobbins receives in October?

3. What makes the men begin to believe in the good luck of Henry Dobbins' object?

4. Where is Tim's first job after college?

5. How does Tim join the army?

Short Essay Questions

1. Give a description of boredom as used in the novel.

2. Explain your thoughts on this quote: "I was a coward. I went to war."

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

4. What does Dave Jensen do to make himself square with Lee Strunk?

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

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

7. Why is the story of Rat Kiley killing the baby water buffalo a "love" story?

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

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

10. How did Tim see Curt Lemon's personality?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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 3

Throughout the war stories in "The Things They Carried," the men carry and discuss a certain superstition for luck. Detail places in the novel where luck is given importance, and explore its role in explaining the events happening around the platoon. How do the men treat the concept of luck? How does the narrator/author wish the reader to interpret luck as it applies to the various characters?

(see the answer keys)

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