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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. What happens at noon at the Place du Gouvernement?

2. What does the name Chenoua refer to?

3. When Camus writes '. . . like red beasts', he is using which literary device?

4. For what does Camus criticize Oran?

5. What symbol does Camus associate with oppression?

Short Essay Questions

1. What 'two thirsts' has Camus been able to slake through his visit to Tipasa?

2. What is suggested about the Algiers community by Camus' reference to the colors seen on the beaches in summer?

3. In what way is Camus' comments about Algerian youth tempered by sadness?

4. What does Camus mean when he says that the 'tyrannies of today are improved'?

5. Why do you think Camus calls nudists 'those Protestants of the flesh'?

6. From information in Camus' text, what do we understand Tipasa to be?

7. To what do love, peace and beauty form the antidote?

8. What is the overall impression the reader has of Oran and its people?

9. What does Camus take away from his visit to Tipasa?

10. In what respects does Camus state that Algiers is capable of gratifying every human wish?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Account for Camus' interest in the work of Russian writer Dostoevsly. For what reasons does Camus choose to refer frequently to this novelist? To what extent is an appreciation of Dostoevsky required to understand Camus' position on The Absurd?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Write an essay in which you explain the ways in which having a personal philosophy benefits the individual. You might like to consider how having a philosophy provides a strong rationale for life choices and actions. You might also consider the effects, for society, of multiple philosophies.

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This section contains 1,004 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample