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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. In what area of generalship did Belisarius excel?

2. When did Belisarius carry out his wars of reconquest?

3. Which of the following major factors that was developed in warfare in the period between 1854 and 1914 made it harder to employ the indirect approach?

4. Some of Fabius' tactics could be compared to what kind of modern warfare?

5. How were the Greeks able to fend off the Persian's first war against them?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was Belisarius's general strategy?

2. What is a "natural line of expectation"?

3. Describe the effect of the locomotive on the American Civil War.

4. What were European nations like during the era of the Wars of Spanish Succession?

5. Why is the indirect method favorable over direct methods?

6. What characterized the battles of William of Normandy?

7. How did Cromwell overcome his enemy's numeric superiority?

8. Why was Varro chosen to replace Fabius?

9. What was the Persian strategy in their first attack against Athens?

10. What is the relationship between grand strategy and long-lasting gains?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Lines of expectation play a major role throughout the book, helping to explain why various campaigns and offensives were or were not successful. These sometimes obscure or ambiguous concepts can provide a major advantage to the general who is able to best identify and utilize them.

Part 1) What is a line of expectation? How are these lines formed, maintained and identified?

Part 2) What is the importance of lines of expectation in strategy? How should a major natural line of expectation be treated? Can it be engaged directly? Can it ever be safely ignored?

Part 3) Using examples from the book, provide and explain one example each of a general correctly and incorrectly using natural lines of expectation. Explain the results in each case.

Essay Topic 2

Belisarius achieved victories where no one thought they were possible, and succeeded in reconquering huge swaths of territory for the divided Roman empire. His conquests were so great that some even called him emperor. His style was decidedly different from that of other generals discussed throughout the book, and other generals of the time.

Part 1) Summarize the military accomplishments of Belisarius, in chronological order.

Part 2) Explain how Belisarius's strategies differed from those of most other military commanders.

Part 3) Discuss Belisarius's influence on military thinking of his time, and in the centuries afterward.

Essay Topic 3

Guerrilla warfare has been employed throughout history, but has flourished into a well-studied and effective method of warfare only within the last century.

Part 1) What is guerrilla warfare, and how does it differ from conventional warfare? What forces and methods are employed under this strategy?

Part 2) What factors led to the increased use of guerrilla warfare during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries? Provide some examples from the book of the increasing use of this strategy.

Part 3) What major advantages and disadvantages does guerrilla warfare lead to? Under what conditions should a nation resort to these means?

Part 4) Summarize the overall historical effectiveness of guerrilla warfare, using examples from the book.

(see the answer keys)

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