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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the main idea in the final paragraph of the essay 'The Myth of Sisyphus'?
(a) No matter how hard we struggle, the gods will always win.
(b) We can't be free unless the gods allow it.
(c) The struggle for achievement is enough: it is its own reward.
(d) All we can do is struggle.

2. What is the chief question pursued in THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV?
(a) Conflict over the emancipation of the Russian serfs.
(b) The validity of the Russian church.
(c) The existence of God.
(d) Sibling rivalry in the Russian middle class.

3. What embodies 'a drama of the intelligence', according to Camus?
(a) A marvel of engineering.
(b) A work of art.
(c) The great scientific discoveries.
(d) The plays of Shakespeare.

4. What does Camus claim is different about his discussion of suicide?
(a) He sees it as an individual matter, not purely a social one.
(b) His attitude to it is more sympathetic.
(c) It is easier to read than most works of philosophy.
(d) His views have been formed after conducting many interviews.

5. What comment of Nietzsche's does Camus make reference to near the beginning of the chapter on Philosophy and Fiction?
(a) 'We have art in order not to die of the truth.'
(b) 'Scattered thoughts can be both orderly and disorderly.'
(c) 'What does not destroy me makes me stronger.'
(d) 'Midway in life's journey we need to enter a dark wood.'

Short Answer Questions

1. What sacrifice does Loyola say God rejoices in?

2. Who is the hero of Metamorphosis?

3. What was Sisyphus' attitude to the gods?

4. What is indicated when melancholy arises in the human heart?

5. What comment has Camus to make about Malraux?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Camus' attitude to Galileo?

2. What is Camus' basic criticism of phenomenology?

3. In an absurd universe, are all actions permitted?

4. How did Sisyphus attempt to test his wife's love?

5. What important feature of Dostoevsky's work does Camus explore in the section entitled 'Kirilov'?

6. What is absurd man and how can he deal with his predicament?

7. How does Camus view the novel as an artistic endeavor?

8. What, for humanity, are the consequences of living in a world stripped of illusion?

9. In what ways is Sisyphus a rebel?

10. Why does Camus call Prometheus the 'first of modern conquerors'?

(see the answer keys)

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