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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 do the officers Sharpe will be a convincing deserter?

2. Who carries out Sharpe's flogging?

3. What does Sharpe tell Lawford about the gunpowder in the musket he was to use to shoot McCandless?

4. How long did the battle just over in Chapter 1 last?

5. What do the officers discuss back at the British encampment?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the plan for Lawford and Sharpe, and what will they do when they get into the city?

2. What is Sharpe doing with a dead enemy officer and how does his search end up?

3. What does Gudin determine about Sharpe and Lawford and what does he do about Sharpe's wounds?

4. Where is Sharpe stationed, why is the British army there and why are the French there?

5. What is the outcome of Sharpe's court-martial and what does Sergeant Green do for Sharpe?

6. What does McCandless encounter on his way back to British forces?

7. Who is with McCandless when he arrives at the courtyard and what does he demand Sharpe do? How did Sharpe's actions turn out?

8. What is Hakeswill thinking about as he is looking for money and what does he do about a dying soldier who has money taped to his chest?

9. Where do the lancers take Lawford and Sharpe and what do the two men see as they enter there?

10. How does Hakeswill get Sharpe arrested for a court-martial?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 womanizer. 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 higher 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 2

In any book centered around the military, leadership of the troops is often crucial with the better leaders able to command the respect and loyalty of their men. The men's willingness to follow a particularly leader can have a decisive impact upon the success of a mission. Discuss the following:

1. Whose command style seems most effective? Analyze the elements of those effective leaders thoroughly and discuss the traits of the good leaders. What makes an excellent leader/commander? Give examples.

2. Whose command style seems least effective? Analyze the elements of those ineffective leaders thoroughly and discuss the traits of the poor leaders. What makes a poor leader/commander? Give examples.

3. Is disobeying a poor leader ever justifiable? Explain using details from the text, other books you have read and your personal experience. In times of war, disobeying an order can be punishable by death. Is this harsh sentence justifiable for such an act? Why or why not.

Essay Topic 3

In the world of academe, historical fiction is often considered an inferior form of the novel compared to "classic" literature. Discuss the following:

1. Why do you think historical fiction might be considered second-rate compared to the classics?

2. Do you think historical fiction has the same elements as the classics? Why or why not?

3. What are the purposes do you think for people reading "the classics"? What are the purposes for people reading historical fiction? Is one purpose better than another? Explain your response.

4. Would you read historical fiction even outside an educational setting? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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