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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 Aubrey have his crew practicing extensively?

2. What does Aubrey think he should do about Waakzaamheid?

3. What does Maturin tell Putnam when he works on him?

4. How does Herapath feel when doing what Wogan wants?

5. What happened to the ship's forge?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Aubrey decide to do after missing an island on which to land and who does he bring up as a possible reason for pessimism?

2. Why is Leopard in danger in Chapter 8 and how much danger is there?

3. Why does Aubrey allow Grant and others to leave the ship?

4. How does Aubrey win the battle with the Dutch ship?

5. What does the superstitious crew say about Larkin and about the Dutch ship?

6. Why does Aubrey think the Dutch captain keeps pursuing Leopard? Is this supposition of his confirmed?

7. What does the fact that the Waakzaamheid has found the Leopard mean as far as the Dutch captain goes?

8. What does the crew do after being safely anchored and what repair is impossible and why?

9. Meanwhile, Maturin has subtly informed Herapath--an American, it will be remembered--that should he gain the deck of La Fayette he would be free to leave with her; Aubrey would not risk an incident by boarding the American whaler. Do you think Maturin letting Herapath and Wogan escape was an act of treason?

10. What decision of Aubrey's does Grant criticize?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

During this era when the book takes place, if a vessel under the command of a naval officer captures another vessel from a country with whom they are warring or captures a pirate vessel, etc...the crew of the victorious vessel shares in the goods, money and value of the vessel. Discuss the following:

1. Why do you think the British had such a policy in place then?

2. What are the possible abuses that can arise from such a policy?

3. Why do you think this policy is eventually abandoned?

Essay Topic 2

Maturin acts as a covert agent for the Crown and succeeds in planting false intelligence with the American spy, Mrs. Wogan:

1. What sort of covert operations does Maturin undertake? How similar do you think his covert operations are to that of an organization such as the CIA of today?

2. How is Maturin's role as a covert agent play a part in Mrs. Wogan's release?

3. Do you see any conflict of interests between being a doctor and also a covert operator? Why or why not.

Essay Topic 3

Though the author O'Brian may or may not have such personal views on women, the way women are characterized in his naval series is often less than complimentary. Discuss one of the following:

1. Present and analyze the treatment of women in Desolation Island.

2. O'Brian is trying to be historically accurate, so is his treatment of women in his book(s) justified?

3. Is there any way O'Brian could have presented women in a more positive light and still stayed historically accurate? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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