View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is different about Tarrou's journal at this point?

2. What seems to be an important factor in the reduction of plague deaths?

3. Why is M. Othon's release from camp delayed?

4. What is at the core of Rambert's problem?

5. What does Rieux do with Grand's manuscript?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain the poignancy of Dr. Rieux's walk through the streets.

2. What is the reason for Rambert's decision?

3. What is the significance of M. Grand's struggle against the plague in Part 4 Chapter 7?

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

5. Comment on the 'reality' behind the phenomenon of the Oran people, now free of the plague, walking the streets.

6. In what ways do Tarrou's plague symptoms first appear?

7. In what way is Cottard shown to be different from other characters in The Plague?

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

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

10. Comment on the change in M. Othon.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the novel, Dr. Rieux has had to deal with scarcely imaginable tragedy in the wider community. At the very end, when he reasonably expected to return to a normal life, he is hit with personal trady in the deaths of his friend Tarrou and then of his beloved wife. Why is Rieux able to survive all this? What ideas and attitudes does the character of Dr. Rieux symbolise? What does he show to us about the human spirit? Write a thoughtful, detailed essay drawing on the novel as a whole.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 983 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample