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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 does Daniel Hagman want when he pokes his head into the room where Sharpe and Gudin are talking?

2. Who appears on the road above the farm?

3. What does Challon promise Lucille?

4. What does Gudin mention that prompts Sharpe to ask for more information?

5. What does Sharpe learn about as the enemy are collecting their death and wounded?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Lucille hope about Sharpe, and how does she feel about leaving her home?

2. What does the man in the kitchen tell Sharpe about Ducos?

3. What does Sharpe tell Lorcet when Lorcet calls upstairs to Challon?

4. Who pushes their way into the house while Sharpe is gone, and what do they do and say?

5. Where does Sharpe go on the morning of Christmas Eve?

6. What does Lucille do when Challon pushes on the bed, and what is Challon's response?

7. What does Lorcet say to Lucille when it starts to snow? What does she reply?

8. How do Sharpe and Malan get into Lucille's house?

9. What happens between Challon and Lucille in the kitchen, and what is Lorcet's response?

10. What does Lorcet agree to with Challon, and what does he find distasteful about Challon's suggestion?

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

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?

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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