View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does Sharpe have his men stationed fifty paces back from the frontier?

2. Picard thinks ____________ are on the slopes.

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

4. Who is one of the first officers to spot Richard Sharpe's potential?

5. What does the surgeon claim about Maria?

Short Essay Questions

1. What finally breaks up the French brigade's advance?

2. Where does Sharpe send his skirmishers? What is the result?

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

5. How does Gudin feel about leaving the fort at Ochagavia, and what is the group composed of who will be leaving the fort?

6. What do the French do about the remaining barrels, and what is Sharpe facing from the south?

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

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

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

10. Why is Caillou angry at Gudin about the women, and why is Gudin walking?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Sharpe's Christmas is one story in a series of novels involving Richard Sharpe. Discuss the following.

1. What are two advantages of writing a series of novels about the same characters? Illustrate your statements with details from the text.

2. What is a disadvantage of writing a series of novels about the same characters? Illustrate your statements with details from the text.

3. Do you prefer to read a standalone book or a series of books with the same main characters? Explain your response.

Essay Topic 3

There are a number of "villains" in Sharpe's Christmas. Ducos, Juanita de Elia, Father Sarsfield, and Loup.

1. Explain, with examples from the text, what you see as the main motivations behind Caillou's behavior. If he lived in America today, with what crimes do you think he would be charged?

2. Picard is a "villain" who does not seem to be motivated by self-interest. Discuss why or why not you believe this statement to be true. Use examples from Sharpe's Christmas to support and illustrate your opinion.

3. Do you think crimes or immoral behavior motivated by good intentions is more pardonable than that motivated by self-interests? Why or why not? Use examples from Sharpe's Christmas to support and illustrate your opinion.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,074 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample