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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 Legatt drag behind him as he swims?

2. In describing how he committed murder, at what time does the mysterious stranger say he and his victim were setting the sail?

3. How long has the captain been a captain?

4. What color are the curtains around the captain's bed?

5. What deity's name is used in the exclamation of the mysterious man on hearing that the narrator is the ship's captain?

Short Essay Questions

1. For what reason does the captain issue his order for all hands to go to sleep while he himself takes the watch alone?

2. What is indicated about the nature of a captain's rule at sea by the captain's decision that he must show himself on deck?

3. What does the captain do after telling the crew to turn in without an anchor watch? Why is this significant?

4. How does the unnamed captain comport himself towards the Sephora's skipper?

5. Why does Leggatt request to be marooned?

6. What does the captain tell the skipper at the end of the skipper's story? How does the skipper react? Why?

7. How does the chief mate of the unnamed ship refer discretely to his strange new captain, and for what reason?

8. What happened to Legatt as a result of the murder he is accused of committing? Does the author give any indication that this is out of the ordinary? Why or why not?

9. What is the captain consumed with once on deck the morning after Legatt comes on board? What does the author use this to demonstrate?

10. What danger lies in taking the ship as close as possible to the islands the ship is approaching?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Oftentimes, a character given limited attention in the text of a fictional work nonetheless plays a vital role to the plot and meaning of a story, such as Captain Archbold in The Secret Sharer. Compose an essay examining the significance of the Sephora's skipper, as he is presented through the unnamed captain's narration. What are the primary motivations of Archbold, generally speaking? How does he perceive right and wrong? How does he comport himself as a leader? What role does he play in the overall significance of the text?

Essay Topic 2

There are many ways that the captain could react to discovering Legatt. Compare some of the possible, even typical, responses you would expect from a ship's captain to the way that the captain did handle the situation. What reasons does the author give the reader for the captain's actions/reactions?

Essay Topic 3

Though it is not explicitly stated, there is a sense in which Leggatt, by undergoing his punishment of ostracism, is given redemption. In an insightful essay, carefully written, analyze this unarticulated theme of the book. What is the moral state of Leggatt? In what way has he acted immorally? In what ways has he acted morally? Why is he in need of redemption? How is he redeemed? What is indicated about the overall significance of the story by the conclusion with Leggatt's redemption?

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