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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 do the captain and the stranger immediately share in common?
2. How old does the captain believe Legatt is?
3. For approximately how many weeks had the mysterious stranger been kept captive?
4. How many officers does the captain have?
5. What is Legatt happy to have toward the end of his swim in the sea?
Short Essay Questions
1. When and how is Legatt almost discovered? How do Legatt and the captain react to this near discovery?
2. How does the skipper feel about Legatt? Why was Legatt on board the Sephora?
3. Why is the captain's quarters comfortable enough for both grown men? Where do each of the men retire? What does this demonstrate?
4. How do Legatt and the captain communicate with each other? Why?
5. What induces a state of self-possession in the captain while he faces the mysterious man in the water?
6. How does the captain describe the skipper at the beginning of part two? How does he feel about the skipper?
7. What does the captain demonstrate about his own character through his "polite insistence" in showing the Sephora's captain the entirety of his ship?
8. How does the captain feel after the skipper leaves the ship? Why?
9. How does the skipper of the Sephora characterize Leggatt in regards to his position as chief mate?
10. What is the captain told toward the end of part one that signifies potential trouble for the ship and crew?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
The eminent theme of The Secret Sharer is the self-sacrificial nature of the captain on behalf of Leggatt. Compose an analytical essay examining the manner in which the captain offers himself up for the sake of another. What is a sacrifice? What characterizes a sacrificial action? What does the captain offer as a sacrifice for the sake of Leggatt? Why does the captain offer himself up as he does? What characterizes his willingness to serve the good of the other? Is his a perfect act? Why or why not? Is the goodness of the action effected at all by the fact that no consummation of sacrifice was made? What is the significance of the captain's intent as regards his willingness to self-sacrifice? What is it about this sacrifice that is inherently recognizable as noble and good?
Essay Topic 2
Why does the author make a point of identifying the possible sources of stress or tension between the crew and the captain? How does this shape the captain's relationship with his main officers and with Legatt?
Essay Topic 3
Though not a strictly metaphorical text, The Secret Sharer does, like most good literature, have a metaphorical aspect in that it conveys a deeper meaning than that which is literally presented. This relationship between the literal and the transcendent significations of the text is the relationship between vehicle and tenor. Analyzing the text of The Secret Sharer, write an essay which explicates how the transcendent meaning - the tenor - is conveyed through various imagery, circumstances, situations, and settings - the vehicle. How do the vehicles of meaning relate to the higher signification, i.e. by what means? How are the vehicle and tenor reciprocally related to one another?
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This section contains 1,198 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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