All Quiet on The Western Front Flashcards

Flashcards covering the main points, characters, and plot events from the book All Quiet on the Western Front

Why is killing lice a tedious business?

To kill each louse separately is a very exhausting task when one has hundreds of them.

How did Tjaden cope with the lice problem?

He rigged up the lid of a boot-polish tin with a piece of wire over the lighted stump of a candle to kill lice.

What was Haie's joke about the lice?

Haie joked about using the fat from the lice he killed to polish his boots.

Why was Himmelstoss sent to the front?

Himmelstoss was caught mistreating young recruits, including the son of a local magistrate.

What does Haie often dream of?

He dreams of the thrashing he received.

What does Kropp say he would do if peacetime came?

He would get drunk.

What does Kat say they would do right after getting drunk in peacetime?

They would get on the next train for home and mother.

What does Haie say he would want to do in peacetime?

He would want a good buxom dame in a real featherbed and not wear trousers for a week.

What does Haie say he would do if he were a non-commissioned officer in peacetime?

He would stay with the Prussians and serve out his time.

What are some benefits of being in the army in peacetime, according to Haie?

He would get food every day, have a bed, clean underwear, a good suit of clothes, and evenings off.

What does Haie imagine it would be like to be the village bobby after his pension?

It is where he can walk around the whole day and get free drinks because everyone wants to be well in with a bobby

What does Tjaden say he would do if it was peacetime?

He would put Himmelstoss in a cage and beat him with a club every morning.

What does Detering say he would do if it was peacetime?

He would go straight on with the harvesting.

How does Tjaden react to Himmelstoss's sudden appearance?

Tjaden's face turns red and stretches himself on the grass

What is Kropp's reaction to Himmelstoss's asking 'Well, you here too?'

Kropp retorts that he has been there a bit longer than Himmelstoss has

What insult does Tjaden hurl at Himmelstoss?

Tjaden says Himmelstoss is a dirty hound.

What gesture does Tjaden combine with a classical phrase?

Ventilating his backside

What is Tjaden's attitude toward a possible punishment of five days close arrest?

Five days rest

What do Kropp and Müller begin doing when Himmelstoss is gone?

To count how many in their class are dead, wounded, or in a mad-house and speculate about Kantorek.

What is the total amount of people in the class that are dead, wounded, or in a mad-house, according to Kropp and Müller?

Seven are dead, four are wounded, and one is in a mad-house.

What practical skills were they never taught in school?

How to light a cigarette in a storm or make a fire with wet wood; stick a bayonet in the belly

What men will go back to their old jobs?

Kat, Detering, and Haie already had jobs

What does Kropp finally say about 'what we'll really do when we go home?'

Go back and find out

What realization does Albert come to?

That the war has ruined us for everything.

What simple activities define their existence?

To play cards, to swear, and to fight.

How many dead and wounded as a result of anti-aircraft?

Five dead and eight wounded

What punishment does Kat conjecture for Kropp's insolence toward Himmelstoss?

Three days C. B.

Who is the Lieutenant in the Orderly Room at the trial?

Bertink, who calls them in one after another.

What punishment does the Lieutenant give Tjaden?

Three days open arrest

What punishment does the Lieutenant give Kropp?

One day's open arrest.

What about this particular case makes an impression on Lieutenant Bertink?

The bed wetting

What do Kat and Paul want to eat?

Roast goose

What inscription do Kat and Paul plan for their feather-filled cushions?

To sleep soft under shell-fire.

Which type of dog threatens Paul when he tries to steal the geese?

A bull dog

In cooking a goose in the middle of the night, what is the only thing that Kat and Paul speak about?

The taste (good)

What is the first thing mentioned for the start of chapter six?

Rumors of an offensive.

What does the narrator and his comrades see stacked up againsed a school-house on the way to the front?

Coffins

What does Detering say about the coffins?

They're for us.

What are the transports bringing according to Kat?

Troops, munitions, and guns.

Why are their own shells falling in the trench?

Because the barrels are worn out.

What kind of rats were in the trenches?

Corpse-rats.

What food is served to the men that increases their foreboding of a bad time coming?

Edamer cheese

What do the men do with the bread the rats have been eating?

Cut off the bits of the bread by the rats.

What kind of bayonets did the men need to overhaul?

The ones that have a saw on the blunt edge.

Which weapons are now more important than bayonets?

Bombs and spades.

What does Kat say it will be like with the English artillery having been strengthened?

It will be like the Somme.

What heavy artillary is present here?

Machine guns, flame throwers, tanks

What is the sign that an offensive is coming?

The earth booms and heavy fire is falling on them.

What happens to one of the recruits?

He has a fit.

What happens when the dug-out is hit?

The dug-out cracks in all its joints

Who is attacking the trenches?

French

Paul and his comrades pull _ to ensure a fiery retreat.

Wire cradles

What are they defending themselves against?

Annihilation.

What do the men do with artillerary cooling weapons?

They drink water

What had Tjaden captured to drink?

Cognac.

What does the narrator see in the star-shell?

A summer evening in the cathedral cloister with tall rose trees and stone carvings

What childhood image does the narrator have while in the trenches?

A line of old poplars

When do memories awaken desire instead of sorrow?

When it reaches the heart.

What do the men hunt for during quiet nights?

Copper driving-bands and silken parachutes.

What, according to Haie, are some of the driving-bands needed for?

Underwear for Haie's girl.

Where do butterflies land?

They settle on the teeth of a skull.

What do they hate like the plague?

Observation planes

Who is being mown down because they are too inexperienced to discern the whistle of shells?

Recruits

What type of attack carries off a lot of the new recruits?

New Gas Attack

Who does Paul suddenly run into one part of the trench?

Himmelstoss

After arriving at the train, how many men were left in Paul's company?

32

Where have they taken Paul and his company to be reorganized?

A field depot

Who decides to try to get on good terms with Paul and his friends?

Himmelstoss

Which job does Himmelstoss get assigned to?

Sergeant-cook

What two things does a soldier need for contentment?

Good food and rest

What happens to the men when they head up to the lines?

They get turned into animals.

Whose body will be hard for the Judgment Day to piece together?

Hans Kramer

What sinks deep into a man's soul?

Good manners

What does Paul see on a colored poster?

A girl in a light summer dress.

Where are Kropp and paul going?

To delouse

Who do Leer, Kropp, Paul, and Tjaden run across when swimming?

Other side of the canal.

Who does paul see at his old boot-camp?

Himmelstoss as territorial.

What does the company commander give to Paul?

A leave-pass.

What did the parachute light remind Paul of this time?

A picture of summer evening and the cathedral's cloister.

Who says goodbye with Paul when he leaves on his leave?

Kat and Albert came with me

What does Paul's mom says when he arrives home?

He asks, "are you wounded"?

Who did Paul used to admire to get over the thought of death?

The butterflies

How does Paul react when the men in town ask aoubt the front?

He cannot take it and walks home

Who does Paul's catch up with the second half of the chapter?

Mittelstaedt

What does Paul's mom not need to learn about?

The trenches with their garrisons dead

What is a pause in only that after something gets worse called?

Leave-what's it like