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 Aubrey say the Navy does not stock their ships well with?

2. Why do the crew not want to deliver people to destinations?

3. What does Aubrey dislike about his father?

4. Why do birds land on the ship?

5. How does Maturin protect Yeats?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Aubrey not able to do what he wanted at Mahon?

2. What is the political climate like in the Ionian Region at this time?

3. What does Aubrey like about Davis?

4. Why is Aubrey so worried about Thornton's health?

5. Why is is so hard for Aubrey to make an agreement with Sciahan at first?

6. What does blockade duty entail?

7. Why does Aubrey avoid Maturin when he first comes aboard the ship?

8. Why does Aubrey refuse to fire on the French ship anchored in the harbor?

9. What is Aubrey's first mission on his new ship?

10. Why does Thornton choose to focus so much on the Ionian region?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Patrick O'Brian presents the idea that there are two sides to every man. Choose three of the characters from the book and write about their dual natures and how this duality affected the characters around them.

Essay Topic 2

How were the three Ionian leaders different from each other, and how did these differences affect Aubrey's decision in that area?

Essay Topic 3

Why was the inclusion of the theme of loneliness so ironic for this book, and what came of the loneliness felt by the main characters in the book?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 656 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample