STUDY GUIDE QUESTIONS
The Things They Carried
Chapters 1-3
1. Who was Martha and what did Jimmy Cross wonder about her?
A. She was his sister; he wondered if she missed him.
B. She was a girl he liked from back home; he wondered if she was still a virgin.
C. She was a woman with whom he had a romantic affair; he wondered if she regretted
their relationship.
D. She was his daughter; he wondered if she knew he killed people in Vietnam.
2. What did “hump” mean?
A. It meant to hit.
B. It meant th learn through experience.
C. It meant to carry.
D. It meant to be issued military gear.
3. What was the “single abiding certainty”?
A. The men would never be at a loss for things to carry.
B. The men would never forget their friendship.
C. Fighting in war is the hardest thing an individual can do.
D. Everyone is affected by war.
4. What did Jimmy Cross do with the photo?
A. He sent it home for safekeeping.
B. He sent it back to Martha with a nasty letter.
C. He taped it to the inside of his helmet.
D. He burned it.
5. For what had Jimmy Cross never forgiven himself?
A. He had not forgiven himself for enlisting in the army.
B. He had not forgiven himself for Ted Lavender’s death.
C. He had not forgiven himself for losing contact with his war buddies.
D. He had not forgiven himself for telling Martha he hates her.
6. What did the narrator of this chapter do for a living, and what was the narrator’s name?
A. The narrator was a teacher named Jimmy Cross.
B. The narrator was a nun named Martha.
C. The narrator was an army general named O’Brien.
D. The narrator was a writer named O’Brien.
7. What did Jimmy Cross bring from the guest room?
A. A box of postcards that he received from Vietnam
B. His old uniform from Vietnam
C. His high school yearbook
D. A framed photograph of Martha
8. For what favor did Jimmy Cross ask the narrator?
A. He asked if he can have a photo of them taken in Vietnam.
B. He asked the narrator not to mention that Martha had been raped or sexually abused
or assaulted in some way.
C. He asked if he could talk to Martha for him.
D. He asked if he could help him publish a book of poetry.
Chapter 4
1. When back in college, how did the narrator feel about the war?
A. He took a modest stand against it.
B. He felt it was justified because it defended democracy and freedom.
C. He didn’t think about it.
D. He felt that fighting was his duty as a citizen.
2. What job title did the narrator have in the summer of 1968?
A. He was a manager at a pet food factory.
B. He was a journalist for the local newspaper.
C. He was a clerk at a book store.
D. He was a declotter at a meat processing plant.
3. What happened one morning on the pig line?
A. The narrator was badly injured in an accident.
B. The narrator had a fistfight with his boss.
C. The narrator has a transformative experience resulting in his decision to flee to
Canada to avoid the draft.
D. The narrator’s mom called and told him to come home.
4. To where did the narrator drive?
A. He drove to the Tip Top Lodge, near the Canadian border.
B. He drove to his favorite fishing spot.
C. He drove to visit his friend Jimmy.
D. He drove to his aunt and uncle’s house in Detroit.
5.Who was the hero of the narrator’s life?
A. The narrator’s hero was his third grade teacher.
B. The narrator’s hero was Elroy Berdahl.
C. The narrator’s hero was Jesus Christ.
D. The narrator’s hero was his grandfather.
6. What was in the envelope tacked to the narrator’s door?
A. The envelope contained a letter that told a family secret.
B. The envelope contained a fake driver’s license.
C. The envelope contained a bill for his motel stay.
D. The envelope contained cash and a note that said “Emergency Fund.”
7. Why did the narrator call himself a coward?
A. He called himself a coward because he left his wife and children.
B. He called himself a coward because he did not pay his motel bill.
C. He called himself a coward because he is afraid of going to Vietnam.
D. He called himself a coward because he went to war.
Chapters 5-8
1. Why did Lee Strunk and Dave Jensen get into a fistfight?
A. Lee made derogatory comments about Dave’s sister.
B. They got into a fight over a missing jackknife.
C. They got into a fight because Lee owed Dave money.
D. Lee stole money from Dave.
2. What did Dave Jensen do with a borrowed pistol?
A. Dave broke Lee’s nose using a borrowed pistol.
B. Dave shot a baby water buffalo using a borrowed pistol.
C. Dave shot Lee in the face using a borrowed pistol.
D. Dave broke his own nose using a borrowed pistol.
3. After Lee Strunk stepped on a mortar round, what did he make Dave Jensen promise?
A. Lee made Dave promise to send his sister a letter for him.
B. Lee made Dave promise not to honor the promise they had made–not to kill him.
C. Lee made Dave promise that he would get medical care for him.
D. Lee made Dave promise to shoot him if he needed to have both his legs amputated.
4. To whose sister did Rat Kiley write?
A. Rat Kiley wrote to Jimmy Cross’s sister.
B. Rat Kiley wrote to his own sister.
C. Rat Kiley wrote to Sister Martha, a nun he knows.
D. Rat Kiley wrote to Curt Lemon’s sister.
5. According to the narrator, how can you tell a war story is true?
A. A listener knows a war story is true if it embarrasses the listener.
B. A listener knows a war story is true if it has lots of specific details.
C. A listener knows a war story is true if it makes him feel angry.
D. A listener knows a war story is true if it tells only one side of the story.
6. What did the listening patrol hear?
A. The listening patrol heard angels singing.
B. The listening patrol heard voices, then music, then sounds that would be foreign in
the jungle, like the sounds of a cocktail party.
C. The listening patrol heard animals talking to each other about the atrocity of war.
D. The listening patrol heard the enemy discussing a secret plan for ambush.
7. What confession did Sanders make?
A. He confessed that he needed to get help for mental illness.
B. He confessed that he was actually a spy for the Viet Cong.
C. He confessed that he actually killed a man before coming to Vietnam.
D. He confessed that he made up parts of the story.
8. What advice did older women give the narrator?
A. Older women advised the narrator to find someone to love.
B. Older women advised the narrator to stop being a crybaby.
C. Older women advised the narrator to move on and put the past behind him.
D. Older women advised the narrator to use writing to make the pain go away.
Chapter 9
1. For what did Rat Kiley have a reputation?
A. Rat had a reputation for being a hypocrite.
B. Rat had a reputation for overstatement and exaggeration.
C. Rat had a reputation for telling lies.
D. Rat had a reputation for stealing other’s credit for good deeds.
2. Who used the compound where Rat was stationed for a base of operations?
A. A group of army nurses used the compound as their base.
B. A group of Green Berets used the compound as their base.
C. A group of American businessmen used the compound as their base.
D. A group of USO performers and celebrities used the compound as their base.
3. Who brought over his girlfriend from the United States?
A. Rat Kiley
B. Curt Lemon
C. Mark Fosse
D. Mitchell Sanders
4. What did Mitchell Sanders guess correctly about Rat’s story?
A. Mitchell Sanders guessed that Mary Anne was abducted by the Vietnamese.
B. Mitchell Sanders guessed that Mary Anne wanted to go home.
C. Mitchell Sanders guessed that Marry Anne was abducted by the Green Berets.
D. Mitchell Sanders guessed that Mary Anne had become friendly with the Green Berets.
5. When Mary Anne was “missing,” where was she actually?
A. Mary Anne was actually at the airport to return to the United States.
B. Mary Anne was actually visiting an orphanage.
C. Mary Anne was actually held prisoner by the Green Berets in their barracks.
D. Mary Anne was actually with the Green Berets on an ambush, a dangerous and
secretive military mission.
6. What “compromise” did Mark make with Mary Anne?
A. Mark would not tell her parents about her behavior if she promised to behave better.
B. Mark would let Mary Anne stay in Vietnam if she would cook and clean for everyone.
C. Mark proposed to Mary Anne, and they become engaged.
D. Mark allowed Mary Anne to have a party for the Green Berets.
7. What, ultimately, happened to Mary Anne?
A. She started dating Rat Kiley.
B. She became a missionary in Vietnam, working at an orphanage.
C. She was killed by a Green Beret.
D. She disappeared into the jungles of Vietnam.
Chapters 10-14
1. What did Henry Dobbins wrap around his
neck?
A. Henry wrapped an old baby blanket around
his neck.
B. Henry wrapped a pair of pantyhose around
his neck.
C. Henry wrapped a winter scarf around his
neck.
D. Henry wrapped a piece of mosquito netting
around his neck.
2. What happened to Henry Dobbins in
October?
A. His girlfriend dumped him.
B. He found out his girlfriend was pregnant.
C. He was shot in the shoulder.
D. He got malaria from a mosquito bite.
3. What kind of motion did the younger monk
perform?
A. He made a motion that looked like he was
waxing a car.
B. He made a motion that looked like he was
painting a wall.
C. He made a motion that looked like he was
having a seizure.
D. He made a motion that looked like he was
washing his hands.
4. What advice did Kiowa give?
A. He advised the soldiers not to kill animals.
B. He advised the soldiers not to damage or
profane churches.
C. He advised the soldiers not to make him
angry.
D. He advised the soldiers not to take
photographs of people without asking
permission.
5. To whom did the monks take a special
liking?
A. The monks especially liked Tim O’Brien.
B. The monks especially liked Kiowa.
C. The monks especially liked Rat Kiley.
D. The monks especially liked Henry
Dobbins.
6. What did Kiowa ask the narrator about the
man he killed?
A. Kiowa asked the narrator if he should have
sympathy for Communists.
B. Kiowa asked the narrator if he would rather
trade places with him.
C. Kiowa asked the narrator if they should
pray for the man O’Brien killed.
D. Kiowa asked the narrator if he should think
about the man he killed as merely a
casualty of war.
7. What did Kathleen ask the narrator?
A. She asked if she could have a birthday
party.
B. She asked if he was her real father.
C. She asked how Kiowa died.
D. She asked him if he had ever killed anyone.
8. How did the narrator respond to his
daughter’s inquiry?
A. He said, “of course not.”
B. He said, “I will keep that a secret.”
C. He said, “I won’t tell you until you are
older.”
D. He said, “That is the wrong question to
ask.”
9. What did Dobbins do when Azar mocked
the girl’s dancing?
A. He joined in.
B. He made the girl stop.
C. He laughed and told Azar to keep doing it.
D. Dobbins was displeased with Azar’s
behavior, so he threatened to put him in a
well.
Chapters 15-16
1. Where did Norman Bowker drive?
A. He drove to the YMCA.
B. He drove in a continuous 7 mile loop around the lake.
C. He drove to Minnesota.
D He drove to the Canadian border.
2. What medal didn’t Norman Bowker win that he thought he might win?
A. He did not win the marksman award.
B. He did not win the Congressional Medal of Honor.
C. He did not win the Cross of Valor.
D. He did not win the Silver Star.
3. What kind of field were the soldiers camped in?
A. The soldiers were camped in a rice paddy.
B. The soldiers were camped in pasture for oxen.
C. The soldiers were camped in a graveyard.
D. The soldiers were camped in a muddy field thick with human excrement.
4. What happened to Kiowa?
A. He was killed in battle and sank into the mud.
B. He deserted the unit and ran away from battle.
C. He became a monk and stayed in Vietnam.
D. He was accidentally shot by Rat Kiley.
5. What did Norman Bowker almost tell the intercom operator?
A. He almost told that he was happy to be home.
B. He almost told about the day he was accidentally shot.
C. He almost told the war story of how Kiowa was killed.
D. He almost told about the girl he has a crush on.
6. Why was “Speaking of Courage” written?
A. Norman Bowker asked the narrator to write it.
B. Norman Bowker wrote it when he was bored one day.
C. Norman Bowker wrote it as a suicide note.
D. Tim O’Brien wrote it after he dreamed it.
7. After the war, what eventually happened to Norman Bowker?
A. He reenlisted and went back into the army.
B. He married his high school sweetheart.
C. He got a job at the A&W restaurant.
D. He committed suicide by hanging himself.
Chapters 17-19
1. What gift did Kiowa receive as a birthday present?
A. He received a carton of cigarettes.
B. He received an illustrated copy of the New Testament.
C. He received a journal and pen set.
D. He received a hatchet that belonged to his grandfather.
2. According to Azar, what was ironic about Kiowa’s death?
A. He thought it was ironic to die in battle.
B. He thought it was ironic that someone so religious died.
C. He thought it was ironic that someone so superstitious died.
D. He thought it was ironic to die in a field of excrement.
3. Which solider found Kiowa’s body?
A. Curt Lemon located the body.
B. Tim O’Brien located the body.
C. Rat Kiley located the body.
D. Norman Bowker located the body.
4. Why did the soldiers feel a secret giddiness?
A. They felt this way because they were still alive.
B. They felt this way because they were going home.
C. They felt this way because they believed God would protect them.
D. They felt this way because they thought the war was over.
5. What did the narrator give Kathleen as a birthday present?
A. He gave her Kiowa’s moccasins.
B. He gave her a trip to Vietnam, a piece of her father’s history.
C. He gave her a framed photograph.
D. He gave her an antique Vietnamese vase.
6. What was inside the narrator’s cloth bundle?
A. The bundle contained a framed photograph.
B. The bundle contained Kiowa’s remains.
C. The bundle contained Kiowa’s moccasins.
D. The bundle contained Kiowa’s hatchet.
Chapter 20
1. Who was Bobby Jorgenson?
A. He was the medic who replaced Rat Kiley.
B. He was the lieutenant who replaced Jimmy
Cross.
C. He was Tim O’Brien’s childhood friend.
D. He was a new solider who was killed on his
first day in Vietnam.
2. Why did the narrator want revenge on
Bobby Jorgenson?
A. The narrator felt that he received improper
care from him.
B. Bobby Jorgenson stole his girlfriend.
C. The narrator felt that Bobby Jorgenson had
an elitist attitude.
D. Bobby Jorgenson lost all of their food
rations.
3. What was hard for the narrator to admit to
himself?
A. The narrator found it difficult to admit to
himself that he killed Bobby Jorgenson.
B. The narrator found it difficult to admit to
himself that he needed psychological care.
C. The narrator found it difficult to admit to
himself that he was an impulsive liar.
D. The narrator found it difficult to admit to
himself that he was capable of evil.
4. What does it mean to “get spooked”?
A. The phrase meant to get high on drugs.
B. The phrase meant to be killed.
C. The phrase meant to hallucinate because of
extreme fear.
D. The phrase meant to scare others when it is
totally dark outside.
Chapter 21-22
1. How was Rat Kiley wounded?
A. Bobby Jorgenson shot him in the foot.
B. Rat Kiley detonated a landmine with his
foot.
C. Rat Kiley shot himself in the foot.
D. Rat Kiley got gangrene from a scratch.
2. What wouldn’t the narrator do, despite the
urging of the other soldiers?
A. The narrator refused to steal from a
Vietnamese person’s home.
B. The narrator refused to slap Rat Kiley in
the face.
C. The narrator refused to shake hands with a
corpse.
D. The narrator refused to admit that he hated
being in Vietnam.
3. Who is Linda?
A. Linda was Tim O’Brien’s daughter.
B. Linda was a girl from the narrator’s
childhood; together they went on his first date.
C. Linda was character from a book Tim
O’Brien read as a child.
D. Linda was an army nurse stationed in
Vietnam.
4. How did Linda die?
A. Linda died from a cancerous brain tumor.
B. Linda fell through the ice while skating on
a pond.
C. Linda was killed in Vietnam.
D. Linda was hit by a car.
5. Where did the narrator ask his father to take
him?
A. He asked his father to take him to the
airport.
B. He asked his father to take him to the
funeral home to attend Linda’s wake.
C. He asked his father to take him to go get
ice cream.
D. He asked his father to take him to see
Linda in the hospital.
6. With what did “Tim” try “to save Timmy’s
life”?
A. Tim (the narrator) tried to save Timmy’s
life using magic.
B. Tim (the narrator) tried to save Timmy’s
life using the power of love.
C. Tim (the narrator) tried to save Timmy’s
life using the power of prayer.
D. Tim (the narrator) tried to save Timmy’s
life using stories.