Is the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II Lens sharp? This page visually answers that question. Shown above are 100% crops from a lab-captured 55mm f/8.0 test image. Observe the contrast and resolution of these results.
Is the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II Lens set to 55mm f/8.0 sharper than the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens set to 50mm f/5.6? The image quality comparison above also answers that question. Switch between the results to see the sharpness differences between these lenses.