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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. How many bags of gold do they find?

2. Who are the only Spanish people fighting the war?

3. Who is Lieutenant Colonel William Lawford?

4. How is Kearsey killed?

5. What does Sharpe admit to Wellington?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Cox and what does Sharpe learn from him?

2. What happens when Sharpe begins to dig in the grave?

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

4. Describe the scene when Sharpe apologizes to Ayres.

5. What does Harper tell Sharpe as the company is being escorted by the Partisans?

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

7. What do they discover when they open the Moreno family vault and what is Sharpe's reaction?

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

9. Who are discussing Sharpe's state of mind?

10. What does Kearsey reiterate about the gold?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Sharpe accepts the challenge of the duel not only because he is bored, but because he feels he needs to redeem himself somehow. Perhaps by fighting the duel he can erase the mistakes of his past, honor his dead wife, and give himself some peace all at once.

1. Sharpe will participate in a dangerous duel because he feels guilty about his wife. How do you think guilt and reckless behavior are related? Use examples from the book and your own experience to support your answer.

2. Discuss some of the behaviors that teenagers in modern America might have because of feelings of guilt. How efficient do you think these behaviors are in erasing guilt?

3. Discuss constructive actions or behaviors a person might use or do in order to assuage guilt. Would any of these be available to Sharpe? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss one of the following:

1. Thoroughly analyze how the setting informs the plot in Sharpe's Gold.

2. Trace and analyze one major theme of Sharpe's Gold. How is the theme represented by symbolism? By the characters' behaviors? By the action?

3. Trace and analyze two secondary themes of Sharpe's Honour. How are the themes represented by symbolism? By the characters' behaviors? By the action?

Essay Topic 3

Many events that happen in Sharpe's gold are foreshadowed by previous events and/or signs. Discuss the following:

1. Define the literary term "foreshadow."

2. Why would an author use foreshadowing? Do you think it adds or detracts from your experience as a reader? Explain.

3. Trace and analyze five instances of foreshadowing in Sharpe's Gold. Match up what is mentioned earlier and what it foreshadows. Did you guess that each instance of foreshadowing was a "heads up" of something to come? Why or why not.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,097 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample