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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 Tarrant tell Sharpe he has heard about?

2. Who helps the British drive the French out during the French's first attack at the village?

3. Why are the Spanish partisans in Nave de Haver?

4. Why does Sharpe gasp as he is watching the battle with Wellington?

5. Why is Massena frustrated with the British troops northward march?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Harper's superstitious action turn out?

2. How does the second large battle for Fuentes de Onoro start and which British troops are involved?

3. How does Hogan set up confronting Father Sarsfield?

4. Who and what does Sharpe find at a house in San Cristobal?

5. Who are the three soldiers in charge of ammunition distribution? Why are two of the soldiers on that duty and what are their names?

6. Where are the Spanish partisans set up to watch the southern flank and what happens to them?

7. How are the southern British troops threatened and what do they do about it?

8. Why is Sharpe being subjected to a board of inquiry?

9. How do Sharpe and his men help the southern troops?

10. What does Sharpe do when he hears Loup shouting out commands in the battle and what do the soldiers around them do?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There are a number of literary elements that occur in many works of fiction. Irony is a means of increasing both the humor and the complexity of a story. Cornwell often includes irony in his Richard Sharpe series. Point of view is the way the story is narrated; all works of fiction have a point of view. Conflict is almost always present in a work of fiction. Discuss the following:

1. Define the literary terms irony, point of view and conflict.

2. Identify two instances of irony in Sharpe's Battle, offering examples from the text.

3. Identify the point of view of the novel and discuss why you think Cornwell chooses to use that particular point of view. Does the point of view seem to be the best one for Sharpe's Battle? Why or why not.

4. Identfiy two major conflicts in Sharpe's Battle. Are the conflicts completely resolved by the end of Sharpe's Battle? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Most protagonists are a mixture of admirable traits and character flaws, and Richard Sharpe is no exception. Sharpe's legendary powers of military strategy is juxtaposed with his reputation as a womanzier. Discuss the following:

1. Trace and analyze situations when Sharpe demonstrates his prodigious powers of military strategy. Give specific examples to illustrate your analysis.

2. Trace and analyze Sharpe's character flaws offering specific examples of these flaws in your discussion.

3. Discuss how you think Sharpe's admirable traits helped him obtain a high rank in the military despite his background as a child. Have his flaws impacted his career at all? Do any of those under his command seem to notice these flaws? Who? How does the reader know this?

Essay Topic 3

The military way of life is in and of itself similar to a distinct culture. Understanding how the military is organized, how it operates, and its basic rules of conduct will make any novel that centers on the military more understandable and enjoyable. Discuss one of the following:

1. Describe and analyze the military structure during the time of Sharpe's Battle. What is rank? What is the difference between officers and enlisted men? How serious is it to disobey an order? What happens if one decides he does not like being in the military and walks away? How are men conscripted? Does the infantry have a similar means of augmenting their ranks as the maritime action called "impressments"?

2. Compare the infantry of Sharpe's Battle to that in modern times in for the United States, England or France. What are the similarities? The differences? Are the changes from those times improvements? Why or why not? (This question will require some research).

3. Discuss why you think the military has the following: Uniforms, a rank structure of Officers and Enlisted, Strict Discipline, Training for New Recruits, Court Martial, and Different types of companies (i.e., rifle, Cavalry, artillery, etc). Discuss why you think men (and nowadays women) choose to become professional soldiers.

(see the answer keys)

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