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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. What is not a phrase used by the men to describe the dead?

2. What event causes Tim to revise "Speaking of Courage," following Norman Bowker's advice?

3. What time of day was it when Tim killed the man on the trail?

4. Which is NOT a way the men react to Rat Kiley's injury?

5. Who does Rat Kiley accuse of whispering his name?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How did the men recover Kiowa's body?

3. Who does Tim go on a trip with and where do they go?

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

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

6. Contrast the two times Tim was shot.

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

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

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

10. What is the main struggle for the narrator/author in the chapter "Good Form?"

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

"The Things They Carried" is very specific about the items the men carried into battle. Choose three significant objects and explain who they belong to, why it was considered important, and what the object represented for the soldier and the reader.

Essay Topic 2

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 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)

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