Is the Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S VR DX Nikkor Lens sharp? This page visually answers that question. Shown above are 100% crops from a lab-captured 55mm f/16.0 test image. Observe the contrast and resolution of these results.
Is the Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S VR DX Nikkor Lens set to 55mm f/16.0 sharper than the Nikon 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Lens set to 28mm f/4.0? The image quality comparison above also answers that question. Switch between the results to see the sharpness differences between these lenses.