how do I find out what programs are running in the background? can someone tell me what buttons I need to press in order to view them?

Press the menu key the press switch application and it will show you what programs are running.

how do I close them?

Wirelessly posted (Verizon 8830: BlackBerry8830/4.2.2 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/105)

Phone, browser, e-mail, and messemger cannot be closed.
For most other programs, simply go to the program, click close from the menu bar.

Depends on the application.
Some cannot be closed.

If it can be closed, there's usually a 'Close' option if you press the menu key within the application. You can also Close applications by pressing the "Back" key directly to the right of the trackball. Don't use the red "End Call" button as a way to exit an application. This would leave it running in the background.