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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. How many times is Wellard beaten in total on this day?

2. Which sailor(s) on the ship have a higher rank than Junior Lieutenant Horatio Hornblower?

3. Who takes part in a secret meeting at the beginning of Chapter 4?

4. How many years of experience does Bush have?

5. ________ takes over the charge of the boats after one of the lieutenants dies.

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Silk's efforts at breaking down the Spanish fort's wooden door.

2. How do the Captain's moods seem to change throughout Chapter 2?

3. Describe Hornblower's shower-bath that takes place on the quarterdeck.

4. Describe the breakfast that the shipmen have at the beginning of Chapter 5.

5. How does Lt. Bush categorize naval officers?

6. Describe the moment when Buckland takes command of the ship.

7. Who is and is not on the maindeck for the Captain's reading on the 4th Sunday?

8. Describe how and where cannon shot is heated.

9. Why does Bush ask Hornblower, "How did the Captain fall down the hatchway?"

10. What is Bush puzzled and anxious about in regards to Hornblower?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast Lt. Bush and Lt. Hornblower, the two main characters of "Lieutenant Hornblower." How are these two shipmen similar in their attitudes towards being in the Royal Navy? How are these two completely different? What points of view do they have in common? What points of view do they have that are different? How are they friends and how is this friendship complicated throughout the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Since this novel is titled "Lieutenant Hornblower," why do you think it is written from the perspective of Lt. Bush rather than Hornblower? How does this different perspective lend an air of suspense to the novel?

Essay Topic 3

What is the importance of studying an author's biography prior to delving into a novel written by that same author? What do you learn about C.S. Forester that makes your reading of "Lieutenant Hornblower" more interesting, more informed, or more complicated? Is this is a useful research tool when starting to read a novel? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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