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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What status as a philosopher does Camus accord Plato?
(a) Superior, all-encompassing.
(b) Acceptable, focussing on reason.
(c) Primitive because he had not the benefit of our scientific knowledge.
(d) Acceptable, though biased.

2. Who are 'the handmaids of justice'?
(a) The Amazons.
(b) The Erinyes.
(c) The Pleiades.
(d) The Nereides.

3. What does the word 'limpid' mean?
(a) Ambient.
(b) A shade of pink.
(c) Limp and floppy.
(d) Clear or transparent.

4. What paradox did Descartes notice in Amsterdam?
(a) That one could feel safe in the red-light district of the city.
(b) That one could feel freedom and tranquility amongst a crowd.
(c) That there were streets as well as canals for traffic.
(d) That a tax on windows meant doors were narrow.

5. How does night descend on the city?
(a) Suddenly.
(b) Like a thief.
(c) By abrupt degrees.
(d) Slowly, after a long twilight.

6. What do Arabs sell for five sous?
(a) Camels.
(b) Roast chestnuts.
(c) Iced lemonade.
(d) Golden bangles.

7. What is the alternative title for The Minotaur?
(a) A Stop in Oran.
(b) A Setup in Oran.
(c) The Stop in Oran.
(d) The Stoop in Oran.

8. With God dead, what remains?
(a) Chaos and warfare.
(b) Power.
(c) An erratic universe.
(d) History and power.

9. What had the writer hoped to gain when he first visited Tipasa?
(a) The clarification of childhood memories.
(b) Experience as a tour guide.
(c) Some Phoenecian artifacts that might make him rich.
(d) The recapturing of his sense of freedom.

10. What did the writer do when the weather changed?
(a) Went to the beach.
(b) Set off for Tipasa.
(c) Set off for Oran.
(d) Went to Mass to give thanks.

11. To whom are the words 'Presumption, regression of progress' attributed?
(a) Heraclitus.
(b) Heracles.
(c) Helen.
(d) Hera.

12. Whence had Camus planned to travel in 1939?
(a) England.
(b) South Africa.
(c) France.
(d) Greece.

13. What makes Algiers different from cities like Paris, Prague and Florence?
(a) Its buildings are predominantly of red granite.
(b) It is not walled, but open.
(c) It has been settled since the ninth century B.C..
(d) It is protected by levees and walls.

14. According to Camus, what is the great misfortune from which we all suffer?
(a) The misfortune of hate.
(b) The misfortune of not loving.
(c) The misfortune of injustice.
(d) The misfortune of war.

15. What can an artist do in the world of today?
(a) He can and should be an advocate for the opressed in many contexts.
(b) Provide people with gentle amusement to take their minds off their troubles.
(c) Very little because so many governments are totalitarian in style.
(d) Very little because so many governments are corrupt.

Short Answer Questions

1. What comment does Camus make about Greek thought?

2. What phenomenon has seemed continuous since Camus' last departure from Algiers?

3. What word best describes Camus' attitude to Oran's shops?

4. What does Camus believe is a necessity?

5. Camus mentions the parliament of birds in which literary source?

(see the answer keys)

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