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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 Dubreton's wife say to her husband?

2. What does Sharpe urge to Farthingdale?

3. What does the person from question #14 say first to Sharpe?

4. Why doesn't Lord Farthingdale marry Josefina?

5. What does Nairn give Sharpe to take to Andrados?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens to the gold Sharpe brought with him and what kind of reassurance does Pot-au-Feu give? What do the men learn from that reassurance?

2. Before whom is Sharpe summoned in Chapter one, what is that man like and why is he summoned?

3. What is happening in Andrados at the beginning of the novel and who is doing it?

4. What does Farthingdale do with his troops as Christmas day breaks?

5. What does Nairn decide about Andrados and what does Sharpe do?

6. What does Sharpe do with the prisoners and what bothers him the most about the prisoners as far as who he wanted to capture?

7. What do Sharpe and Harper notice about the basement in the convent?

8. What does Sharpe and Harper do when they first arrive at Andrados?

9. What does Sharpe urge Farthingdale to do and what does he do? What do the defenders do?

10. Where and at what time is the Prologue set?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Sharpe demands a duel from Ducos but Ducos says no. In other books in this series, Sharpe has fought duels. Discuss the following:

1. What is a duel? How is it conducted? Why is it conducted? When did the use of duels to settle matters of honor go out of use in England? The United States?

2. What other methods do you think could be used to settle a matter of honor or insult to one's reputation?

3. In England, dueling becomes illegal in the 19th century, yet men still engaged in them and the winner often has to flee to escape punishment. Do you think dueling should have been made illegal? Why or why not?

4. Research dueling in Britain and discuss the typical reasons two men would engage in a duel. Do the reasons seem worth the potential costs?

5. If dueling were still legal, can you imagine engaging in one? Why or why not.

Essay Topic 2

At the conclusion of a novel, most readers either consciously or unconsciously engage in processing the book and usually come to a conclusion as to whether they like the book or not. Discuss one of the following:

1. Would you consider Sharpe's Enemy a "good" book? Why or why not? Use examples to illustrate your stance.

2. What do you think are the elements of an outstanding novel? Analyze one of your favorite novels to see if those elements are present.

3. What are some reasons you might consider a novel a failure? Analyze a novel you think is a failure and see if those elements are in that novel.

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 Enemy. 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 Enemy 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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