The Things They Carried Review

Question 1

According to O'Brien, which is NOT TRUE about telling a "true war story?"

Accepted Answer

A true war story is moral; it instructs the listener.

Question 2

How would O'Brien answer the question, "Why do we tell stories?"

Accepted Answer

Stories keep people "alive," even after they die.

Question 3

What does Henry Dobbins wear around his neck to protect himself from danger during the war?

Accepted Answer

His girlfriend's stockings.

Question 4

Who is the first to die in O'Brien's platoon?

Accepted Answer

Ted Lavender

Question 5

What is one purpose for the chapter "How to Tell a True War Story?"

Accepted Answer

To help readers understand how illogical war itself is.

Question 6

"Almost everything is true. Almost nothing is true" is an example of...

Accepted Answer

paradox

Question 7

The pebble Jimmy Cross carries helps him feel connected to Martha and his home. It is a(n)...

Accepted Answer

symbol

Question 8

What war are the soldiers fighting in?

Accepted Answer

The Vietnam War

Question 9

"He loved her but he hated her" (O'Brien 23) is an example of...

Accepted Answer

paradox

Question 10

When fictional writing is written in a way that makes it seem real, the author is using...

Accepted Answer

verisimilitude

Question 11

Mary Anne wearing a sweater & culottes AND a necklace of tongues is an example of a visual...

Accepted Answer

paradox

Question 12

What did Curt Lemon do to prove his manhood?

Accepted Answer

Forced the dentist to pull his perfectly healthy tooth.

Question 13

O'Brien's use of strong imagery in "The Man I Killed" demonstrates what impact of war?

Accepted Answer

War can haunt a person.

Question 14

Why does O'Brien refer to Elroy Berdahl as the "hero of his life?"

Accepted Answer

Elroy let him stay & process his future without judging him.

Question 15

Who blames himself for Ted Lavender's death?

Accepted Answer

Jimmy Cross

Question 16

As O'Brien writes about the life of the man he killed, he is using this writing technique:

Accepted Answer

verisimilitude

Question 17

"A thing may happen and be a total lie; another thing may not happen & be truer than the truth"

Accepted Answer

What makes something real?

Question 18

Why does O'Brien use repetition when referring to Ted Lavender's death in the first chapter?

Accepted Answer

Lavender was the first to die and that deeply impacted him.

Question 19

What happens to Mary Anne Bell?

Accepted Answer

She gets obsessed with war, joins the Greenies, & disappears

Question 20

"I don't see no moral. There it is man." The essential question this quote most connects to is:

Accepted Answer

Is there a truth to war?

Question 21

"The left cheek was peeled back in three ragged strips" (O'Brien 122) is an example of...

Accepted Answer

imagery

Question 22

Which is the best example of irony?

Accepted Answer

Mary Anne showing up an innocent girl & ending up a Greenie.

Question 23

The most prevalent literary term in the chapter titled "The Things They Carried" is...

Accepted Answer

repetition

Question 24

Jimmy Cross claims to be in love with...

Accepted Answer

Martha

Question 25

Jensen breaking his own nose to prevent Lee Strunk from doing it to him is an example of...

Accepted Answer

irony

The Things They Carried Review

Questions 25

The Things They Carried Review

Questions 25