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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. How does Anne feel towards Fenner?

2. Who eavesdrops on the conversation between Fenner and Lawford?

3. What does Sharpe see Girdwood do at Simmerson's estate?

4. What does Lawford want from Fenner?

5. What does Anne hope for Fenner?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Sharpe do with the command structure at Foulness and what does he do with Girdwood?

2. What does Sharpe do with the men at Foulness after he sets up the new command structure?

3. What does Sharpe do about Sergeant Lynch?

4. What does Anne tell Sharpe about him wanting to take Fenner and Simmerson down?

5. What does Jane estimate is the kind of money the schemers are making off the recruits?

6. What does Jane volunteer to do and what does Sharpe give her and ask her?

7. How does Jane's mission to obtain the accounting books turn out and how does she feel?

8. What does Sharpe do with the men of the second battalion?

9. Where does Girdwood run and what does he do?

10. What does Havercamp tell Sharpe when questioned about his involvement in the recruiting scheme and what does he promise?

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 in for a soldier during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 1820s. 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 the novel 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, Lawford, and Windham. Contrast that to the lives of those who are in a lower social strata such as Sharpe and Harper or one in service to someone of wealth and/or privilege.

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/sea 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

The recruiting sergeant is a bluff, likable man who tells ridiculous, grandiose lies and draws in many unsuspecting recruits. Of course his entire spiel is lies, but even Sharpe admires Havercamp's ability to spin military enlistment as something desirable and exciting.

1. Do you think someone who lies as much as Havercamp does can also be a likable person? Why or why not? Use examples from the text and your own experience to support your answer.

2. Most people have known someone who has joined the armed forces and inevitably hear the complaint that his/her recruiter lied. Discuss the concept that a recruiter lying isn't really wrong since everyone knows recruiters lie.

3. Compare and contrast the tactics of a military recruiter to a sales person, for example, one selling a used car.

Essay Topic 3

Most of the entire series of novels concerning Richard Sharpe takes place during the Napoleonic Wars; therefore, understanding the political and social situation during that time helps to a greater understanding and appreciation of this book and others in the series. Discuss one of the following:

1. Research and write an expository essay about how the Napoleonic Wars begin and end.

2. Research and write an expository essay about the battles that take place on land between Britain and France during the Napoleonic Wars.

3. Compare/contrast the importance of the British infantry during the Napoleonic Wars to the importance of the British infantry during either WWI or WWII.

4. Write an expository essay on how the Napoleonic War affects the social culture of one of the following countries: Britain, France, or Germany.

(see the answer keys)

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