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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. Who does Rat Kiley accuse of whispering his name?

2. How did the old farmer react to Tim?

3. Which is NOT a way Norman Bowker attempts to return to normal life?

4. Who is curious about if the narrator killed anybody?

5. What Army position did the narrator hold?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the purpose of the visit to the battlefield where Kiowa was killed?

2. What does the dancing girl symbolize to you?

3. What two types of truth are there for the author and reader?

4. What is unique about the movements required of Alpha Company for this chapter's mission?

5. What important information does the reader learn about the story in the preceding chapter?

6. Explain Tim's dilemma about how he killed a man on the trail outside My Khe.

7. How does Norman Bowker ultimately cope with returning home?

8. What happens to Tim after he kills the man in the path with a grenade?

9. What is Norman's assessment of his valor and bravery?

10. Do you agree with Kiowa or Tim's point of view about the kill? Why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Although the book is labeled "a work of fiction," it reads very similar to a memoir- a recollection of events and people from the author's past. Explain any indications that Tim O'Brien may not be a trustworthy narrator. Where in the text are there signs he is leaving something out, or passages where the reader should second-guess his account? Are there particular passages where a reader may be more likely to believe O'Brien's narrative? Use no less than three specific areas of text to evaluate Tim O'Brien as a reliable or unreliable narrator.

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)

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