View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What will the rocket battalion be doing while Sharpe is gone?

2. What does the army that conquered Andrados do in the town?

3. Who does Sharpe capture when he first enters Andrados?

4. What does the person from question #14 say first to Sharpe?

5. What does Dubreton's wife say to her husband?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Nairn decide about Andrados and what does Sharpe do?

2. What do Sharpe and Harper notice about the basement in the convent?

3. Before whom is Sharpe summoned in Chapter one, what is that man like and why is he summoned?

4. What happens to the British forces as they scramble over the castle walls?

5. What happens to Sharpe and the three others in the convent shortly after they meet?

6. Who does Sharpe meet who is head of the rifle company going to Andrados, what is that man like and how does Sharpe feel about him?

7. Who is Spain at war with and how is the country divided?

8. What happens when Frederickson shows up at the convent?

9. What is happening in Andrados at the beginning of the novel and who is doing it?

10. What does Sharpe do with the prisoners and what bothers him the most about the prisoners as far as who he wanted to capture?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Though this novel is probably more action driven rather than character driven, obviously there are several characters who make the novel what it is. Discuss one of the following:

1. Compare/contrast the characters of Sharpe and Ducos. Include their goals, sense of honor, abilities and social skills.

2. Compare/contrast the characters of Harper and Hakeswill.

3. Thoroughly analyze the character of Richard Sharpe discussing both his strong and weak points and how both affect the outcome of the plot.

Essay Topic 2

Farthingdale is wealthy, educated, and titled, yet he is also militarily ignorant and is so haughty that he fails to recognize his own limitations. Sharpe is not wealthy, not educated, and not titled, though he knows the ins and outs of combat and knows how to lead soldiers. Farthingdale makes several mistakes, some catastrophic, while Sharpe works behind the scenes to keep the attack together.

1. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of having a system of nobility in a country, especially how it applies to the military. Use examples from the text to support your answer.

2. The class separations in the era of Sharpe's Enemy are very distinct and the upper class is basically impenetrable to the lower class. Discuss the implications of Sharpe, the son of a prostitute being able to obtain the rank of major and the possible ramifications he might have to deal with when interacting with officers who come from a much higher class.

3. Often in this series of novels the upper class officers are presented as incompetent, at best, and dangerous uncaring at worse. What might that portrayal suggest about how the author might feel about wealthy people and the positions they hold in society, whether qualified or not? Use examples from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

In any book centered around the military, leadership of the troops is often crucial with the better leaders able to command the respect and loyalty of their men. The men's willingness to follow a particularly leader can have a decisive impact upon the success of a mission. Discuss the following:

1. Whose command style seems most effective? Analyze the elements of those effective leaders thoroughly and discuss the traits of the good leaders. What makes an excellent leader/commander? Give examples.

2. Whose command style seems most ineffective? Analyze the elements of those ineffective leaders thoroughly and discuss the traits of the poor leaders. What makes a poor leader/commander? Give examples.

3. Is disobeying a poor leader ever justifiable? Explain using details from the text, other books you have read and your personal experience. In times of war, disobeying an order can be punishable by death. Is this harsh sentence justifiable for such an act? Why or why not.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,070 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample