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

Short Answer Questions

1. What news does Hornblower receive?

2. What have the men reached?

3. Who visits Hornblower back at his residence in England?

4. What delights Hornblower?

5. How many men were wounded?

Short Essay Questions

1. How are the French responding to the missing men and what finally happens that gives them some hope?

2. What does Hornblower reflect upon about his wife?

3. What was a major development with Hornblower's wife and how might that have changed his affair with Marie?

4. What characteristics of the three men enhance their disguises?

5. What do Bush and Brown do to prepare for a spring escape and how does Hornblower feel about it?

6. What does Hornblower and Bush do with Marie and the Count to help pass the time? How does Bush do with it?

7. What does the Count suggest will be good disguises for the men and how does he help them with the disguise?

8. How might their escape from the French be viewed and what additional bonus did they bring with their escape?

9. What worries Hornblower as the days in the count's house go by? What kind of visions does he have of her and Barbara?

10. Why does Hornblower discard his disguise so quickly?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Hornblower , Bush and Brown lie, steal and cheat their way onto the Witch of Endor in order to effect an escape. Discuss the following:

1. There is a cliché that says "All is fair in love and war." Discuss whether you think that is true in a war situation.

2. There is a cliché that says "All is fair in love and war." Discuss whether you think that is true in a love situation. (Hint: Think about Hornblower hoping that Admiral Leighton has died.)

3. Discuss the irony of their stealing a ship when they've been condemned for piracy.

Essay Topic 2

At sea, the commander of a vessel is "God," and failure to obey the Captain's orders can subject one to court martial and even execution. Discuss the following:

1. Should Bush be held accountable for the crime of piracy when he was merely following Hornblower's orders?

2. Why do you think mutiny on a ship is punishable by death?

3. Is there ever a justifiable reason for a crew to mutiny?

Essay Topic 3

Forester has tried as much as possible to use historical events and facts around which to weave his work of fiction. Discuss the following:

1. Do you think this book qualifies as an historical fiction? Why or why not?

2. If much of the events in the book are historical, what surprises you about the way the events play out?

3. Do you think the culture of that era is more or less advanced than you imagined? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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