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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. Why have the French called an unofficial truce?

2. What does Tarrant call the two soldiers with him?

3. Why do some of the soldiers prowl through the bodies after the battle?

4. What does Tarrant say about the French in relationship to his job?

5. What do Sharpe and Harper do after the battle at the village?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Sharpe, Runciman, and the Real Compañía Irlandesa get involved in the battle for Fuentes de Onoro?

2. What is Wellington doing when he realizes he has made a mistake, and what is that mistake?

3. How does Hogan set up confronting Father Sarsfield?

4. What do the French do at the church in Nave de Haver?

5. What is Valverde's argument about Sharpe?

6. What does Hogan say to Sharpe about letting Juanita go free?

7. What type of superstitious action does Harper take?

8. What does Hogan tell Wellington about the French and Almeida?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Most of the entire series of novels concerning Richard Sharpe takes place during the Napoleonic Wars; therefore understanding the political and social situation during that time helps to a greater understanding and appreciation of this book and others in the series. Discuss one of the following:

1. Research and write an expository essay about how the Napoleonic Wars begin and end.

2. Research and write an expository essay about the battles that take place on land between Britain and France during the Napoleonic Wars.

3. Compare/Contrast the importance of the British infantry during the Napoleonic Wars to the importance of the British infantry during either WWI or WWII.

4. Write an expository essay on how the Napoleonic War affects the social culture of one of the following countries: Britain, France, or Germany.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Cornwell is masterful in his description of battles and life in general in for a soldier during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 1800s. Discuss one of the following:

1. Trace and analyze Cornwell's descriptive passages about life as a soldier. How does he use descriptions of the five senses to make the reader feel s/he is there? Do you find his descriptions compelling? Seemingly accurate? How would Sharpe's Battle be different if Cornwell did not include such descriptive passages?

2. Analyze Cornwells's descriptive passages about the social structure of the times and discuss what you think it would be like to be a person of wealth and/or privilege such as Wellington, or Dunnet. Contrast that to the lives of those who are in a lower social strata such as Sharpe and Harper or one in service to someone of wealth and/or privilege.

3. Describe and analyze Cornwell's descriptive passages about the topographical setting and the physical descriptions of the people. Does Cornwell do an adequate job of actually making the reader "see" the land/sea where the action is taking place? How about getting a visual image of the characters? How does the descriptions of the setting add to the novel? Do you like having an idea of how a character looks? How would the novel be different without such descriptions?

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