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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. Who believed that 'to kill God is to become god oneself'?

2. What kind of thought is involved in the absurd?

3. What would be a synonym for the phrase 'fecund rumination' (p. 93 of the Penguin Edition)?

4. Who is the author of Discourses of Edification?

5. Commonly, what concerns Dostoevsky's heroes?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what ways is Sisyphus a rebel?

2. According to Camus, what must we take into consideration when reading the works of Franz Kafka?

3. According to Camus, what is the one serious problem for philosophy?

4. What, for humanity, are the consequences of living in a world stripped of illusion?

5. What is absurd man and how can he deal with his predicament?

6. In an absurd universe, are all actions permitted?

7. How does Camus account for the promiscuity of don Juan?

8. Why does Camus wonder if an absurd work of art is truly possible?

9. In mentioning the Diary (p. 100 of the Penguin edition), to what does Camus draw attention?

10. According to Camus, should don Juan be punished?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What would Camus like the societies of North Africa and Europe to learn from each other and from Ancient Greece? In your answer, you should make extensive reference to Camus' essays Summer in Algiers, The Minotaur, Helen's Exile and Return to Tipasa. You should also consider what our own society might learn.

Essay Topic 2

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 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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