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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. Where does Bardamu decide to travel to in Section 8?

2. How are the inmates in Section 5 cured?

3. Who is the main character?

4. How did Bardamu receive his war medal?

5. In what year does the book start?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Bardamu realize about his new life in Africa, this new continent and the people he associates with?

2. Who is Musyne, and why does her relationship with Bardamu fail to work?

3. What is the traditional cure for cowardice used in the military hospitals?

4. Who saves Bardamu from the jungle?

5. Why does Bardamu join the army in Section 1?

6. What skills does Bardamu learn in Section 11 that proves useful to him?

7. Why does Bardamu set fire to his trading hut in Section 10?

8. What is the best description of the main character's personality?

9. What does Bardamu think is the interesting quality of the Manhattan Banks?

10. What hallucination does Bardamu start to have at the end of Section 4 and why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine the author’s critique of science, as posed through the character of Dr. Paraprine. Do you think that the author justified in his remarks?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the role of escapism and fantasy in the novel. How does it inform Bardamu and others' actions?

Essay Topic 3

How does the use of the first person affect our reading of the novel? Cite examples to describe this interaction with the reader.

(see the answer keys)

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