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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 is Mowett's title in the Navy?

2. Who gets mad about the treatment of the birds that land on the ship?

3. What does Yeats say will ruin him?

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

5. What happens when the crew fires on the first practice session?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Aubrey choose to captain the Worcester even though he doesn't want to?

2. Why is a blockade duty so wearing on a ship and its crew?

3. What competition is held on Aubrey's new ship, and who wins?

4. Why is it so surprising that Aubrey is able to defeat Mustapha?

5. What does Maturin do at the clandestine meeting, and why?

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

7. What is strange about the practice runs done at sea with the cannons?

8. What does Aubrey think of Ismail Bey?

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

10. What do Aubrey and Maturin discuss about music?

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

Despair was an emotion that affected a number of the characters in this book. Which characters were most affected by despair, and how did this change the course of the plot branches they were involved in?

Essay Topic 3

What caused Thornton to retire, and what were the reactions to this decision?

(see the answer keys)

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