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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 Sharpe expect will happen when he is shipped out?

2. With whom does Jane begin to associate in London?

3. What are the British getting ready to do at the beginning of this book?

4. Why does Fredrickson fumble to open his watch at the opening of the novel?

5. Why would the French army have to fight to defend France?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Lassan's mother want him to do and how does he feel about it?

2. Who has set up the charges against Sharpe and Frederickson and what do the British authorities know?

3. What does Henri do with his sister, Lucille?

4. What orders do Sharpe, Frederickson, and Harper receive?

5. What is Sharpe's and Frederickson's plan for leaving Bordeaux?

6. How does Sharpe respond to Jane's demands in the Prologue?

7. Of what does Part I in this novel consist and what does Part I serve to do in the novel's narrative arc?

8. Who leads the Nairn men into battle and what does he realize?

9. What does Napoleon do when he is worried about failure and who does he use to help him?

10. What does Peter d'Alembord do with Shape and his companions?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 Revenge 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 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 this book qualifies as an historical fiction? Why or why not?

2. If much of the events in the book 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

Richard Sharpe is in some ways a larger-than-life hero. Despite incredible odds, he usually comes out on top, in Sharpe's Revenge and in the other novels in the series. Discuss the following:

1. Does having a larger-than-life hero make that person less of a hero? In other words, which is more admirable--a hero who ultimately always "lands on his feet," or one who strives against impossible odds and doesn't always succeed?

2. Does a character have to be successful in order to be a hero? Explain your answer.

3. Choose one other character besides Sharpe whom you might call a hero/heroine and explain why you choose that person. Illustrate your statements with examples from the text.

4. Does every work of fiction have to have a hero? Explain your answer.

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