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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. To what does El Catolico admit?

2. Why is Sharpe pleased?

3. What does Sharpe's apology imply?

4. How do the British attempt to stay on good terms with the locals?

5. Who is dead in the village?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who does not agree with most of the others, but why is that not obvious?

2. What does Sharpe learn as he takes stock of his company after the fighting and how does Kearsey react to his rescue?

3. What does Sharpe find when he follows the woman he later learns is Teresa?

4. What does Kearsey reiterate about the gold?

5. Why are Sharpe's men angry and sad as they enter the village?

6. How do Harper and Sharpe capture an enemy lancer, and how does Teresa help them escape from the rest of the lancers?

7. Why is the mood somber in Chapter one among the forces allied against Napoleon?

8. What does Sharpe decide to do based upon what Harper tells him?

9. Where and who are the Provosts and what is their purpose?

10. Describe Sharpe and Moreno's conversation.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

At the conclusion of a novel, most readers either consciously or unconsciously engage in processing the book and usually come to a conclusion as to whether they like the book or not. Discuss one of the following:

1. Would you consider Sharpe's Gold a "good" book? Why or why not? Use examples to illustrate your stance.

2. What do you think are the elements of an outstanding novel? Analyze one of your favorite novels to see if those elements are present.

3. What are some reasons you might consider a novel a failure? Analyze a novel you think is a failure and see if those elements are in that novel.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss one of the following:

1. Define irony in literary terms. Discuss the irony of the situation when Sharpe's men think he is torturing Teresa when he is involved with her romantically.

2. Define symbolism in literary terms. Discuss the use and meaning of five symbols you choose to analyze from Sharpe's Gold. What do they symbolize? Is the symbolism obvious? Effective? Does the symbolism contribute to the enjoyment of reading?

3. Discuss five literary devices that occur in Sharpe's Gold and how they are used. Are they effective? Do they add or detract from the reading of the book? Why or why not. Some possible techniques: Allusion, connotation, denouement, dialogue, flashback, figurative language, motif, metaphor, narrator, point of view, simile, mood, and puns.

Essay Topic 3

Sharpe's Gold is one book 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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