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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 Tim take with him on his trip to Vietnam?

2. What did the man on trail wear on his feet?

3. Who mimics the girl's dancing later that night, making Henry Dobbins angry?

4. Who is the most "spooked" in the end?

5. What was wrong with the village the men come upon in "Style?"

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Norma Bowker's life before the war and after the war contrasted?

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

3. What was Tim's first experience with death?

4. What does Tim invent about the man he killed?

5. What does the dancing girl symbolize to you?

6. Explain who feels blame for Kiowa's death.

7. How do Henry Dobbins and Azar disagree about the girl's motive to dance?

8. How does Tim react to Bobby Jorgenson's failings as a medic?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The concept of truth is challenged repeatedly in "The Things They Carried." Men tell embellished stories, exaggerate their own lives, and even the narrator casts doubt as to the honesty of the stories contained within the novel. What are your thoughts about the truth of "The Things They Carried" and why? Are there places you feel the accounting is accurate, and other places where the story has been stretched and skewed? What textual evidence leads you to these conclusions?

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

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 1,102 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample