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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. How does Camus classify regret?

2. What does Homer have to say about Sisyphus?

3. What is astonishing about eternal values?

4. In what way are people's minds related?

5. What does Camus see as an almost inevitable companion to passion?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What technique of Kafka's does Camus posit as the reason for the unity in that writer's work?

3. In what ways is Sisyphus a rebel?

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

5. Why is the fame of a writer likely to endure and that of an actor not to do so?

6. According to Camus, should don Juan be punished?

7. What is Camus' attitude to Galileo?

8. According to Camus, what must we take into consideration when reading the works of Franz Kafka?

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

10. What does Camus say is tiresome about the human heart (p. 115 of the Penguin edition)?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay in which you argue for or against Camus' proposition that Sisyphus was happy in the eternal performance of his useless task. You will need to consider the chain of events that resulted in Sisyphus's fate. It will also be necessary for you to discuss Camus position regarding the absurd and your own response to this. There are no right or wrong answers in philosophy, but you will be assessed on the strength and validity of your argument as well as your written expression and the proper construction of your essay.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay that deals thoughtfully with the following:

In an absurd world, is not philosophy itself absurd? If life has no meaning, why have learned people--over many centuries from Ancient Greece to the present--devoted so much time to discussing it? Might they not have been better occupied?

In other words, you will be demonstrating that philosophy is a necessary activity for mature humanity.

Essay Topic 3

Viewing this collection of Albert Camus' essays as a whole, how would you assess their importance in relation to current attitudes to the meaning of life, non-violence and conservation. This essay is a high-order task. You will need to demonstrate your deep understanding of the work you have studied. In preparation, you should review and reflect upon the central issues dealt with in Camus' work and check that you thoroughly understand his continual reference to the myths and philosophy of Ancient Greece.

(see the answer keys)

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