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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. Who is Lucille Castineau?

2. What does Sharpe think would make a nice Christmas present for his battalion?

3. Why is Picard pleased that his men are miserable?

4. When does Sharpe estimate the French will arrive?

5. What does Caillou know Gudin will do?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Sharpe give the French warning, and why does he warn them?

2. What has Sharpe been doing for the past ten years? Whom does he command? Why? When do Sharpe and his men march? What does Sharpe ignore?

3. How did Cornwell feel about writing Sharpe's Christmas, and why did he feel that way?

4. What is Gudin told about Maria and what is his response?

5. What are Sharpe and Harper attempting to do for Christmas at the beginning of the story? How is their task interrupted?

6. How do the French play into Sharpe's trick with wine barrels?

7. What does Gudin do after Caillou breaks the truce?

8. Why did Cornwell think writing about a Christmas with Sharpe was odd?

9. What does Caillou do to keep Gudin from meeting with the British truce?

10. What does Sharpe order when the French send in the voltiguers, and what does Sharpe's order tell the French?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose two of the following and compare and contrast the two people. Include in the discussion their type of leadership, their personality, their morals and whether you would like to serve under them.

1. Sharpe and Picard .

2. Harper and Sharpe.

3. Caillou and Gudin.

Essay Topic 2

Most protagonists are a mixture of admirable traits and character flaws, and Richard Sharpe is no exception. Sharpe's legendary powers of military strategy is juxtaposed with his reputation as a womanzier. Discuss the following:

1. Trace and analyze situations when Sharpe demonstrates his prodigious powers of military strategy. Give specific examples to illustrate your analysis.

2. Trace and analyze Sharpe's character flaws offering specific examples of these flaws in your discussion.

3. Discuss how you think Sharpe's admirable traits helped him obtain a high rank in the military despite his background as a child. Have his flaws impacted his career at all? Do any of those under his command seem to notice these flaws? Who? How does the reader know this?

Essay Topic 3

Though this novel is probably more action driven rather than character driven, obviously there are several characters who make the novel what it is. Discuss one of the following:

1. Compare/contrast the characters of Sharpe and Caillou. Include their goals, sense of honor, abilities and social skills. Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

2. Compare/contrast the characters of Gudin and Picard. Include their goals, sense of honor, abilities, and social skills. Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

3. Thoroughly analyze the character of Richard Sharpe discussing both his strong and weak points and how both affect the outcome of the plot. Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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