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Suggestions
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A Streetcar Named Desire
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
King Lear
Othello
The Taming of the Shrew
No Fear Shakespeare
Literature
Other Subjects
Teacher
Blog
Help
The Things They Carried
Tim O’Brien
Study Guide
Study Guide
Summary
Plot Overview
Key Questions and Answers
What Does the Ending Mean?
Summary & Analysis
“The Things They Carried”
“Love”
“Spin”
“On the Rainy River”
“Enemies” & “Friends”
“How to Tell a True War Story”
“The Dentist”
“Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong”
“Stockings”
“Church”
“The Man I Killed”
“Ambush”
“Style”
“Speaking of Courage”
“Notes”
“In the Field”
“Good Form”
“Field Trip”
“The Ghost Soldiers”
“Night Life”
“The Lives of the Dead”
Characters
Character List
Tim O’Brien
Jimmy Cross
Mitchell Sanders
Kiowa
Mary Ann Foster
Norman Bowker
Elroy Berdahl
Main Ideas
Themes
Plot Analysis
Protagonist
Antagonist
Setting
Motifs
Symbols
Genre
Allusions
Style
Point of View
Tone
Foreshadowing
Key Facts
Is The Things They Carried fiction or memoir?
Quotes
Important Quotes Explained
Quotes By Symbol
The Dead Young Vietnamese Soldier
Kathleen
Linda
Further Study
Context
Protests Against the Vietnam War
The Things They Carried and American War Novels
Movie Adaptations
Full Book Quiz
Section Quizzes
Character List
Analysis of Major Characters
Themes, Motifs, and Symbols
"The Things They Carried"
"Love"
"Spin"
"On the Rainy River"
"Enemies" and "Friends"
"How to Tell a True War Story"
"The Dentist"
"Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong"
"Stockings"
"Church"
"The Man I Killed"
"Ambush"
"Style"
"Speaking of Courage"
"Notes"
"In the Field"
"Good Form"
"Field Trip"
"Ghost Soldiers'
"Night Life"
"The Lives of the Dead"
Study Questions
Suggestions for Further Reading
Companion Texts
Writing Help
How to Write Literary Analysis
Suggested Essay Topics
How to Cite This SparkNote
Further Study
Full Book Quiz
Further Study
Full Book Quiz
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1.
What kind of gun does Henry Dobbins carry?
M-
60
B
M-
14
M-
16
M-
79
2.
What is Jimmy Cross’s rank?
Private
Colonel
Lieutenant
Medic
3.
What sport did Martha play at Mount Sebastian College?
Tennis
Soccer
Field hockey
Volleyball
4.
Why does Ted Lavender take tranquilizers?
His leg was blown off by a mine
Dave Jensen broke his nose
He is generally nervous
Someone sent them to him as a gift
5.
How does Ted Lavender die?
A grenade he’s playing catch with explodes
He is shot in the head
He steps on a mortar round
He catches a disease swimming in a river
6.
How do Jimmy Cross and Martha reunite?
At a college reunion
They never speak to one another again
They marry after the war
They serve as missionaries in several third- world countries
7.
What is the average age of the Alpha Company members?
30–35
28–30
19–20
22–25
8.
What is O’Brien’s summer job before the war?
He works on a political campaign
He works at the Tip Top Lodge
He works in a meatpacking factory
He works on a draft board
9.
What is the outcome of the fight between Dave Jensen and Lee Strunk over Jensen’s missing jackknife?
Jensen breaks Strunk’s nose
Strunk blows Jensen’s leg off
Strunk gives back Jensen’s jackknife
Jimmy Cross breaks up the fight
10.
What is the pact between Jensen and Strunk?
They will play a trick on Azar when he is on night watch
They will each try to kill a Vietnamese soldier
If one gets badly injured, the other will make sure he dies
Neither of them will say who really stole the jackknife
11.
How is Curt Lemon killed?
He is shot in the head
He steps on a mine
He is never killed
He plays catch with a grenade that goes off
12.
What happens when Curt Lemon is called in to see the dentist?
Lemon faints
The dentist finds a cavity
Lemon runs away and refuses to go
Lemon knocks out one of the dentist’s teeth
13.
Who flies his girlfriend to Vietnam?
Tim O’Brien
Mark Fossie
Mitchell Sanders
Henry Dobbins
14.
At the end of “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong,” what is Mary Anne Bell wearing?
A flak jacket
An army helmet
The skin of a Vietnamese casualty
A necklace of tongues
15.
Who tells the story of “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong”?
Rat Kiley
Tim O’Brien
Mitchell Sanders
Mark Fossie
16
. What item does Henry Dobbins wear around his neck?
Dog tags
Ammunition
A locket from his girlfriend
His girlfriend’s pantyhose
17
. How does O’Brien kill a Vietnamese soldier outside My Khe?
He wrestles him to the ground and stabs him
He shoots him point-blank
He tosses a grenade at his feet
He drowns him in a well
18
. When the platoon burns a village and then finds a young girl dancing, who mocks her?
Rat Kiley
Norman Bowker
Tim O’Brien
Azar
19.
What medal does Norman Bowker almost win?
The Air Medal
The Silver Star
The Bronze Star
The Purple Heart
20.
Where does Kiowa die?
In a helicopter on its way to Japan
In a pagoda that gets hit by a bomb
In the muck near the Song Tra Bong
On the way to My Khe
21.
Who runs the Tip Top Lodge?
Jimmy Cross
Elroy Berdahl
Norman Bowker
Tim O’Brien
22.
What does a young soldier share with Kiowa the night before Kiowa’s death?
A picture of his girlfriend
A joint
Three-month old Christmas cookies
His copy of the New Testament
23.
When O’Brien returns to Vietnam more than twenty years after the war, whom does he bring with him?
His wife
Mary Anne Bell
Kathleen
Norman Bowker
24.
A few days after O’Brien arrives in Vietnam, who tells him to “introduce himself” to a corpse?
Azar
Dave Jensen
Norman Bowker
Kiowa
25.
Why did O’Brien’s relationship with Linda end?
She left him for another man
He had to leave for Vietnam
She ran off into the wilderness, never to be heard from again
She died of a brain tumor
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