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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 nationality is the Franklin?
2. What seems to happen to the water below the ship?
3. What is wrong with most of Franklin's crew who aren't injured?
4. What do the religious groups from the town in question #50 hate mutually?
5. How does the crew feel about the conditions around Surprise?
Short Essay Questions
1. What kind of region has Surprise sail into in Chapter 2 and what has happened in that region?
2. What does Vidal talk to Maturin about?
3. What does Maturin write to Diana about Martin and how does Martin and Maturin's friendship fare?
4. What is happening in Martin and Maturin's relationship and what has Martin told Maturin?
5. What were the mortar rounds the Surprise crew thought were being sent at them?
6. How does Dutourd conduct himself on board Surprise and how does Aubrey feel about him?
7. Why has Dutourd commissioned the Franklin and what does he plan to do?
8. What type of mix is Surprise's crew and for what are some of the older members known?
9. What means does Maturin use to think about Martin?
10. What is Franklin's advantage in a chase with Surprise and why does it seem Franklin cannot shake the Surprise?
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. This was the purpose for the Surprise having a letter of marque. 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
There are a number of literary elements that occur in many works of fiction. Irony is a means of increasing both the humor and the complexity of a story. O'Brien often includes irony in his Aubrey/Maturin series. Point of view is the way the story is narrated; all works of fiction have a point of view. Conflict is almost always present in a work of fiction. Discuss the following:
1. Define the literary terms irony, point of view and conflict.
2. Identify two instances of irony in The Wine-dark Sea, offering examples from the text.
3. Identify the point of view of the novel and discuss why you think O'Brien chooses to use that particular point of view. Does the point of view seem to be the best one for The Wine-dark Sea? Why or why not.
4. Identfiy two major conflicts in The Wine-dark Sea. Are the conflicts completely resolved by the end of The Wine-dark Sea? Why or why not?
Essay Topic 3
O'Brian is masterful in his description of battles and life in general in for a soldier during the the early 1800s. Discuss one of the following:
1. Trace and analyze O'Brian's descriptive passages about life as a sailor. 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 O'Brian did not include such descriptive passages?
2. Analyze O'Brian'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 Aubrey or Maturin or Dutourd. Contrast that to the lives of those who are in a lower social strata such as Vidal or Eduardo.
3. Describe and analyze O'Brian's descriptive passages about the topographical setting and the physical descriptions of the people. Does O'Brian 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?
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This section contains 1,111 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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