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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 does Sham do to the English horse-breaker hired to tame him?

2. How long is Agba in jail?

3. Why is Agba sent away in Chapter 20?

4. Who asks about Sham's pedigree in Chapter 21?

5. Who is Jethro Coke?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens to Sham's pedigree while Agba is in prison?

2. Why is Agba arrested?

3. Describe the family Sham sires with Roxana.

4. How does Agba survive alone on the streets of Paris?

5. How does Sham prove his pedigree?

6. Why does the Earl of Godolphin invite Agba back to Gog Magog?

7. How does Mrs. Cockburn help Agba in prison?

8. Why doesn't Benjamin Biggle want to ride Sham?

9. How does Agba feel about Sham not being allowed to race at Newmarket?

10. Describe the Earl of Godolphin's stables.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss how different characters throughout the novel view Sham's potential as a racehorse. What factors influence the perception of Sham's potential? Which characters are able to discern Sham's true potential, and why?

Essay Topic 2

How does ownership affect Man 'o War's (Big Red) and Sham's characters? Discuss how the treatment of each of these horse's owners affects the horses' health, spirit, and success. Could Agba ever be considered an "owner"? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

How does deception affect the characters in the novel? Which characters are deceptive and how do their actions affect Agba and Sham? Why do these characters choose to be deceptive and how do Agba and Sham rise above the circumstances that result from deception?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,102 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample