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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 Sharpe tell Kearsey about who killed Hardy?

2. Who has been teaching Teresa how to use a saber?

3. Who is killed in the explosion about whom Sharpe is glad?

4. Who says he will help defend Almeida?

5. Where do they move Sharpe's company?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the losses and who lives after the explosion?

2. Who is causing Sharpe problems about moving the gold on to Wellington?

3. How does Sharpe shock both his men and the Partisans?

4. What happens before the telegraph can be sent?

5. What does it say about the cause of the explosion and who got in a bread oven?

6. What does Cox say when Sharpe asks permission to leave the fortress?

7. What is Sharpe's plan for blowing up Almeida?

8. What of the Lines of Torres Vedras?

9. Describe the Lines of Torres Vedras.

10. How does Sharpe discover that the French are nearby when Sharpe's company approaches the Coa River?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Sharpe, despite his background, is an officer and a gentleman and is therefore accorded more respect and trust even in enemy territory than the common soldier. It is assumed that he will return with the gold intact.

1. Does it seem likely that officers are usually more respectable than enlisted men back then? What about today? Why or why not.

2. Sharpe has begun an affair with Teresa, a woman he ostensibly is holding as a hostage. Do you think this is how an officer and gentleman comports himself? Why or why not.

3. In the present military in the United States, both officers and enlisted can be held for court martial for adultery or having sexual relations with someone of inferior rank. Why do you think this is so? Do you agree with the policy?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss one of the following:

1. Trace and analyze one major theme of Sharpe's Gold. Consider the following: How does one character's actions portray the theme you are analyzing? How does the setting contribute to that theme? Is the theme one that you would call a "universal theme?" If so, what other book or novel that you have read also includes this theme. If not, why don't you think it is a "universal" theme?

2. Trace and analyze two secondary themes of Sharpe's Gold. How does one character's actions portray the themes you are analyzing? How does the setting contribute to those themes? Is each theme one that you would call a "universal theme?" If so, what other book or novel that you have read also includes this theme. If not, why don't you think it is a "universal" theme?

3. What benefit is there in discussing and analyzing the themes of a work of fiction? Do you think most authors consciously develop themes in their works? Why or why not? Can there be accidental themes? What do you think is one possible "accidental" theme in Sharpe's Gold? Which theme in Sharpe's Gold speaks to you the most in your life? Why?

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)

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