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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 common quality can be found in Kafka, Proust and Plotinus?

2. What does Homer have to say about Sisyphus?

3. According to Camus, what makes the myth of Sisyphus tragic?

4. What is the hero's great fear following his transformation?

5. How does a man define himself?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Sisyphus attempt to test his wife's love?

2. What important feature of Dostoevsky's work does Camus explore in the section entitled 'Kirilov'?

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

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

5. In what ways is Sisyphus a rebel?

6. What two views of Sisyphus are mentioned by Camus?

7. Why does Camus claim that there can be no experience of death?

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

9. What were Sisyphus's sins against the gods, for which he was punished?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

'Fame is the spur that leads men on'. Discuss. There are different kinds of fame you could consider. You might consider that perhaps the pursuit of fame is a way some people confirm the significance of their lives. What are the gains to be had through fame? These could be material, but also perhaps spiritual--depending on the type of fame enjoyed.

Essay Topic 2

Comment on the implications of what Camus calls the 'hiatus between what we fancy we know and what we really know'. You might like to focus on the famous example of Galileo and the Inquisition or cite other instances in which there was a gap between what humans thought they knew and what actually was the case ('flat' earth or the 'impossibility of stones falling from the sky'). As well as examining the implications of this hiatus, consider solutions to the problem.

Essay Topic 3

Compare the ways in which Kafka's and Dostoevsky's heroes illustrate the idea of The Absurd. In your essay, you will need to show that you understand Camus' rationale for using these heroes as exemplars of his thought. Mention the ways in which the heroes are similar in their attitudes to the world and their fates, and ways in which they are different. Refer only to what Camus says about them. Do not use the novels themselves as reference material.

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