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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. Before going out on ambush patrol, what does Henry Dobbins wrap around his neck?

2. What did Lt. Cross keep under his tongue?

3. What kind of wound qualified for a mercy kill?

4. What does Dave Jensen do when he snaps?

5. How did Dave Jensen and Lee Strunk agree on the pact?

Short Essay Questions

1. How are the terms of the death pact ultimately carried out?

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

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

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

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. What are Henry Dobbins' tentative plans for after the war?

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

9. Why was Curt Lemon afraid of the dentist?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Chronicle the beginning, growth, and ultimate end of the one of the following relationships: Curt Lemon/Rat Kiley; Dave Jensen/Lee Strunk. Be sure to explain how major and minor events affected the relationship, and how the surviving party handled the loss of a friend.

Essay Topic 2

The full stories of the men of Alpha Company in "The Things They Carried" are divided amongst the chapters. As the reader progresses, more details of events are given, and multiple points of view of identical events are written. Choose one main character from the company, and give a full accounting of the character's war experience. How can a reader identify with this character's experience, and what part of the man's story is the hardest for the reader to bear? What was the intent of the author when he divided up the character's story? Was there foreshadowing, irony, or any other literary element employed in the character's war experience?

Essay Topic 3

"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.

(see the answer keys)

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