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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 kind of ship does Surprise spot shortly after it leaves England?

2. What do Aubrey and Maturin do after Maturin enlists Ahmed?

3. For whom does Maturin work covertly?

4. Where is Surprise bound?

5. What is the conversation mostly about during dinner ashore before the Surprise leaves?

Short Essay Questions

1. What kind of honor does Fox inquire about to Aubrey and what is Aubrey's answer?

2. Who shows up right before departure to join the crew and in what position?

3. How is the ship's last addition to the crew handling the voyage and how does Aubrey feel about it?

4. What does Standish ask for at Lisbon and how does Aubrey respond?

5. What do Aubrey and Maturin do after meeting with Fox?

6. What is Maturin's covert job?

7. What does Maturin think about Batavia and what is his hope?

8. Who reinstates Aubrey and under what conditions?

9. Who is the Surprise's first lieutenant and what is his qualification?

10. What is the crew of the Surprise like?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The near catastrophe at Inaccessible Island foreshadows the eventual wreck of Diane on the False Natunas. In the first encounter the island is obvious and obviously perilous while the latter island is invisible and invisibly dangerous. Discuss the following:

1. Symbolically, how do the two situations above relate to life in general?

2. How might the financial problems both Aubrey and Maturin are having be related to the above sentence? For example, what types of financial pitfalls are obvious and might be avoided and what types might be invisible and devastating?

3. In modern America, what types of situations within America's relationship to other nations in the world might qualify as obvious and obviously perilous and what might be invisible and invisibly dangerous?

Essay Topic 2

Aubrey is an officer and a gentleman and is therefore accorded more respect and trust even in enemy territory than the common sailor. Discuss the following:

1. Does it seem likely that officers are usually more trustworthy than enlisted men back then? What about today? Why or why not?

2. In the present military in the United States, both officers and enlisted can be held for court martial for consorting with a foreign national while in another country such as in the "bawdy-house" in Pulo Prabang. Why do you think this is so? Do you agree with the policy?

3. In the time in which Thirteen Gun Salute is set, an officer's word was assumed to always be good; whereas a non-officer was not considered trustworthy. What is the flaw in this standard? Do you think it affects the moral and/or morals of non-officers? How? What about the morale of each group?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss one of the following:

1. Thoroughly analyze how the setting informs the plot.

2. Trace and analyze one major theme of Thirteen Gun Salute.

3. Trace and analyze two secondary themes of Thirteen Gun Salute.

(see the answer keys)

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