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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. Why does Rieux weep?

2. What news does Rieux receive next day?

3. How has Fr Paneloux assisted the community during the plague?

4. How does Rieux find out about his wife's condition?

5. How did Tarrou respond to his father's court performance?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Part 4 Chapter 3, what is the situation regarding the plague serum?

2. What sort of man was Jean Tarrou's father?

3. How are local printing firms and newspapers able to profit by people's fear of the plague?

4. What is unusual about Tarrou's illness?

5. What is the situation in the camps for people in quarantine?

6. What choice does Rambert make in Part 4 Chapter 2?

7. Comment on the change in M. Othon.

8. Why is there a steady supply of workers taking care of burials?

9. Has Cottard really gained from his profiteering during the plague?

10. What do you think has led Dr. Rieux to unburden himself to Grand?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

'Camus' novel The Plague shows us a hero who isn't exactly heroic.' Do you agree or disagree? What is the conventional idea of 'the hero' and does Dr. Rieux fit in with that idea? Discuss the kinds of heroism depicted in the novel.

Essay Topic 2

Weather conditions in Oran are frequently described at important points in the novel. Examine the ways three of these are connected emotionally or thematically with the action and/or characters in the novel.

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast the characters of Rambert and Rieux. In what ways do these characters develop during the course of the novel?

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