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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 does de Elia feel towards Loup?

2. How much help is Sergeant Harper to Sharpe?

3. What does Sharpe hear as he is entering San Cristobal?

4. When did Loup kill Oliveira?

5. How does Sharpe feel about the Real Compañía Irlandesa when he first meets them?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Sharpe find out what happened to the Portuguese ammunition wagons?

2. What does Sharpe suggest Donaju do about the problem with the troops?

3. What does Sharpe asks El Castrador about the village where Loup is and who goes there with Sharpe?

4. What does Hogan tell Sharpe about Runciman and Loup's attack and what is Sharpe's response? What does Hogan tell him about it being Sharpe's fault?

5. What is Juanita's job with the Real Compañía Irlandesa?

6. What happens to the Portuguese battalion in Loup's attack?

7. Why is Sharpe frustrated at the beginning of the book, what does Harper do about it and how does Sharpe respond to Harper?

8. How does the Portuguese battalion arrive, with whom does Sharpe meet, what kind of man is he and why is the battalion there?

9. What do Sharpe and his men find in the village when they get there?

10. What does Loup tell Ducos about Sharpe and how does Ducos feel about Loup's disclosure?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In any book centered around the military, leadership of the troops is often crucial with the better leaders able to command the respect and loyalty of their men. The men's willingness to follow a particularly leader can have a decisive impact upon the success of a mission. Discuss the following:

1. Whose command style seems most effective? Analyze the elements of those effective leaders thoroughly and discuss the traits of the good leaders. What makes an excellent leader/commander? Give examples.

2. Whose command style seems most ineffective? Analyze the elements of those ineffective leaders thoroughly and discuss the traits of the poor leaders. What makes a poor leader/commander? Give examples.

3. Is disobeying a poor leader ever justifiable? Explain using details from the text, other books you have read and your personal experience. In times of war, disobeying an order can be punishable by death. Is this harsh sentence justifiable for such an act? Why or why not.

Essay Topic 2

Cornwell 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 Sharpe's Battle qualifies as an historical fiction? Why or why not?

2. If much of the events in Sharpe's Battle 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.

Essay Topic 3

Sharpe's Battle, like many, and perhaps a majority, of novels ends on a happy note. Discuss the following:

1. Why do you think many (most?) people want what they perceive as a happy or good ending to a novel? Explain your opinion. Do you? Why or why? not?

2. What are three reasons to read fiction? Discuss each one in light of Sharpe's Battleand whether or not it fulfills all three, two or one of the reasons you mention. Give examples as to why Sharpe's Battleis or is not successful in fulfilling the reasons you discuss.

3. Do you think reading solely for entertainment is as good a reason to read as any other? Why or why not? Can any work of fiction or non-fiction, no matter how poorly written, enlighten, teach, stimulate thought? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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