View a FREE sample

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 receive from Tippoo?

2. Who is taken prisoner by Tippoo's forces?

3. Where do the British open fire?

4. What happens when Sharpe encounters Hakeswill?

5. Why does Sharpe ignite the fuse of the mine?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the first task Gudin has Sharpe and Lawford do and how well do they do it? How does Lawford feel afterward?

2. What does Sharpe discover about the dungeon and about Hakeswill in the dungeon?

3. Why was Sharpe honored and what did he receive?

4. How does Sharpe get them out of the prison?

5. What is Mary doing for work?

6. How does Tippoo execute criminals and what does he do afterward?

7. What do the British first do with their cannons to begin to breach Tippoo's wall?

8. What does Lawford tell Sharpe about rockets and what do they see as they watch them being used?

9. What does Tippoo hope as the British prepare to attack and what happens to that hope?

10. What does Hakeswill do when it comes his turn to be killed?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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

1. Trace and analyze Cornwells'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 Tiger" 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? Contrast that to the lives of those who are in a lower social strata such as Sharpe, Mary or Hakeswill.

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 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?

Essay Topic 2

Oftentimes, a book is more of a character-driven plot rather than action driven, and oftentimes the other way. Some books seem to balance the two. Discuss the following:

1. What do you think it means to say that a plot is character driven? Action driven?

2. How do you think a plot differs if it is character driven versus action driven?

3. Which type of plot do you find more interesting? Why?

4. Do you think it is possible to have a plot where action and character development share equal time? Why or why not.

5. What type of plot do you think Sharpe's Tiger is? Explain your response.

Essay Topic 3

There are a number of literary techniques evident in "Sharpe's Tiger". Discuss the following:

1. Look up and define the literary technique called "narrative contrivance." Where do you think narrative contrivance occurs? Why? Give two examples and analyze them to see if the author has to come up with something to "save the day."

2. Does the use of narrative contrivance diminish the impact of the plot? The believability of the storyline?

3. Is there any other way Cornwell could have a mixture of suspense and action while at the same time making certain the main characters are not killed?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,114 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample