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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 does the narrator call the barman?

2. What does the young woman do in Clamence's story?

3. What does the Nazi soldier ask a mother?

4. What is the full name of the narrator?

5. How does Clamence show his power when it comes to women?

Short Essay Questions

1. Summarize the story about the motorcycle Clamence tells in chapter 3?

2. Why will Clamence not cross bridges?

3. Describe Clamence's experience on the Pont de Arts.

4. How is Clamence's role as a deus ex machina an accurate metaphor for his work with the demoralized criminals of Paris?

5. What does Clamence talk about on the walk to the hotel?

6. What was Clamence's role in Paris society?

7. What does Clamence say his sign would be?

8. How does the narrator compare Amsterdam and Paris?

9. What is a deus ex machina?

10. In what way does the author show that Clamence is not as confident as he claims?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine translations. Do you think think a translator has to know about a country as well as the language to translate a book effectively? What do you think The Fall loses in its translation? In what way would you get more out of a book by reading it in its original translation?

Essay Topic 2

What is Clamence referring to when he states a death of a person brings them closer to us? Is this statement specific to his own personality or is he trying to attribute it to society in general?

Essay Topic 3

Identify the main themes of the story. Why do you think these themes are so important to the story? How does Camus use character and setting to express these themes?

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