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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. Who lands as the Marines march away?

2. What is Sharpe supposed to do after the first part of his mission is accomplished?

3. With what is Jane ill when Sharpe leaves on his mission?

4. What does the man that de Marquerre meet conclude about the taking of the fortress?

5. What does Killick present to Bampfylde?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who joins Sharpe's mission at the last moment, what kind of problems does he cause and why does Sharpe's superiors allow it?

2. What does Sharpe doe when he arrives near the area of the fortress?

3. What do the British decide to do to implement their plan from question # 3?

4. How does Killick respond to Sharpe's distaste for hanging?

5. What does Killick and Sharpe realize when they speak?

6. What is Richard Sharpe's role in the coming British action and why is he chosen for this task?

7. What does Pierre Ducos do when he learns Sharpe is marching inland?

8. What does Bampfylde do with the American prisoners and why?

9. What plan does Sharpe use to get into the fortress?

10. What does an English frigate do about the Teste de Buch and how does Lassan respond?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The technical discussion of the fortress' construction is interesting and precise, though the large amount of jargon makes an appreciation of the fortress' strength difficult to assess without reference to a military dictionary. However, a full understanding of the layout is not necessary to the novel. Instead, the general feeling that the fortress is well-designed and difficult to penetrate is sufficient. Choose one of the following to answer in detail:

1. Did you find the technical data to be easy to understand in the way in which the author presented it? Why or why not? Use examples from the text to support your answer.

2. In what ways did the amount of description and technical data on the fortress add to and subtract from the experience of reading the book? Use examples from the text to support your answer.

3. If the last sentence above is true and a full layout was not necessary, why do you think the author wrote so much detail into the book? Use examples from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Sharpe weighs various factors in trying to decide what to do about Killick and decides that he cannot simply leave Killick behind, knowing full well that as soon as Sharpe is out of sight, Bampfylde will begin hanging the Americans. He is also haunted by the specter of Jane's death and involves himself in some superstitious speculation; Killick's yarn about sailors being hung in still air sends chills down Sharpe's spine and he somehow illogically conflates the story with Jane's survival. Sharpe comes to the conclusion that sparing Killick somehow guarantees Jane's survival. Discuss the following:

1. What is superstition? Can you name a few common superstitions? Do any of them seem to have any validity in logic? How do you think a superstition gets started? Continues?

2. Why do you think soldiers have the reputation for being superstitious? Do you think it is true? What superstitions are mentioned in Sharpe's Siege? Do you think superstitions help a person emotionally or psychologically when that person's life is in danger constantly such as a soldier at war? Do you think people are more superstitious during the era of Sharpe's Siege than they are now? Why or why not?

3. Do you believe any superstitions? What are they? Why? Have you ever found yourself unconsciously associating the outcome of something with something else happening that is totally unrelated? Discuss a couple of those times. How do you start associating one event with the other?

Essay Topic 3

Although Hogan's fever and eventual death is not focused on in a dominant way, the credibility of the basic plot relies heavily on this intelligence officer's information being withheld due to illness. In other words, Sharpe will go to war believing he is to act a certain way while in point of fact his mission was intended to be something else entirely. Choose one of the following to answer in detail:

1. Explain why the convenience of Hogan's illness is likely a narrative contrivance. Use examples from the text to support your answer.

2. Explain how you believe the plot could have worked without Hogan's illness. Use examples from the text to support your answer.

3. Based on Sharpe's behavior in his decision not to go to Bordeaux because of a "feeling" about de Marquerre, why would the author go to the trouble of inventing Hogan? Use examples from the text to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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