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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. What does Maturin want to do with the answer to question #86?

2. Who attended the event Joseph organized?

3. What has the men on Surprise who are interested in Sethianism done?

4. What does the letter Aubrey has from the Admiralty to Babbbington say?

5. At what does Babbington marvel?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does a government official say to Aubrey and what is Aubrey's response?

2. What type of injury does Aubrey have?

3. Describe the taking of the Diane and what happens to her immediately afterward.

4. What is Aubrey's plan for taking Diane?

5. What does Surprise do after her encounter with Spartan and what do Martin and Maturin do?

6. Following Surprises first shakedown cruise when Maturin visits Sir Joseph, what does he find out about Wray and Ledward?

7. How many ships does Aubrey capture and what happens to him as soon as they are captured?

8. What does Maturin ask about Diana and what does Sir Joseph tell him?

9. Why does Aubrey encounter Babbington outside St. Martin's bay and what does Aubrey want from him?

10. How does Babbington respond to Aubrey's request?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The British Navy in this era is very flexible in letting their Captains and other officers use their own style of command. Discuss the following:

1. Whose command style seems most effective? Why? Give examples.

2. Whose command style seems least effective? Why? Give examples.

3. Sometimes the crew will mutineer against a tyrannical Captain: Is mutiny ever justifiable? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

O'Brian's female characters are almost always peripheral to the story line of any of his novels. Discuss one of the following in view of O'Brian's female characters in THE LETTER OF MARQUE.

1. What type of reader demographics do you think THE LETTER OF MARQUE might appeal to given the limited scope of O'Brian's female characters. Use examples from THE LETTER OF MARQUE or other O'Brian books you have read to support your answer.

2. Do you think O'Brian's books would be better with more in depth female characters? Why or why not? Use examples from THE LETTER OF MARQUE or other O'Brian books you have read to support your answer.

3. Do you think the O'Brian's paucity of female characters reflects history in our reality? Discuss why it might be possible that females played more significant roles in history but were ignored by the primarily male historians through the ages.

Essay Topic 3

Patrick O'Brian tries as much as possible to use historical events and facts around which to weave his work of fiction. Discuss the following:

1. Do you think THE LETTER OF MARQUE qualifies as an historical fiction? Why or why not?

2. If much of the events in THE LETTER OF MARQUE are historical, what surprises you about the way the events play out?

3. Do you think the culture of that era is more or less advanced than you imagined? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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