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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. Where will Sharpe's men cover the west road?

2. What does Picard say Gudin has become used to?

3. Who granted Gudin his eagle?

4. At what does the French brigade fire?

5. Who does Cornwell say commissioned the Sharpe stories originally?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What does Cornwell say about Sharpe's Christmas in the introduction?

3. What does Cornwell say about the people who helped him write Sharpe's Christmas? What else does he address in the introduction?

4. Why does Sharpe have hope the garrison will surrender, and what does the garrison have that Sharpe would like to take?

5. When does Sharpe think the French will arrive? What does he do for his men because of this?

6. How long is each story in Sharpe's Christmas, and why are they that length?

7. What does Hogan tell Sharpe will be his immediate assignment?

8. 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?

9. What does Harper think about the British coming into conflict with the French? What does Sharpe think about it? Why?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Sharpe says repeatedly in the first short story that Christmas is no time for killing. Traditionally, throughout the history of war since the advent of Christianity a truce for Christmas has been enacted between two "Christian" nations who are at war and in fact, there are many incidences of enemies eating or drinking together on Christmas day then shooting at each other the day after.

1. Discuss the incongruous of enacting a truce for one day then reverting to killing in a mere 24 hours. Use examples from your life and the text to support your answer.

2. What do you think are the necessary psychological change for a person to eat Christmas dinner with another who will be attempting to kill that person the next day? Use examples from your life and the text to support your answer.

3. Discuss the implications for hope of an end to war if enemies can be civil on Christmas Day. Use examples from your life and the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

In any book centered around the military, leadership of the troops is often crucial with the better leaders able to command the respect and loyalty of their men. The men's willingness to follow a particularly leader can have a decisive impact upon the success of a mission. Discuss the following:

1. Whose command style seems most effective? Analyze the elements of those effective leaders thoroughly and discuss the traits of the good leaders. What makes an excellent leader/commander? Give examples.

2. Whose command style seems most ineffective? Analyze the elements of those ineffective leaders thoroughly and discuss the traits of the poor leaders. What makes a poor leader/commander? Give examples.

3. Is disobeying a poor leader ever justifiable? Explain using details from the text, other books you have read and your personal experience. In times of war, disobeying an order can be punishable by death. Is this harsh sentence justifiable for such an act? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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