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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 did Goethe call for when on his deathbed?

2. To what type of person is Camus drawn as an artist?

3. Where did Sakyamuni meditate?

4. For what does Camus criticize Oran?

5. On which other society does the youth of Oran model its behavior?

Short Essay Questions

1. What problems does Camus see in modern philosophy?

2. What is ironic and unexpected about Camus' description of the way the Algerian people enjoy summer?

3. Can the artist remain aloof from the world he comments upon, depicts and criticizes?

4. What lies 'beyond the yellow walls of Oran'?

5. What does Camus take away from his visit to Tipasa?

6. Why do you think Camus calls nudists 'those Protestants of the flesh'?

7. From information in Camus' text, what do we understand Tipasa to be?

8. In what way is Camus' comments about Algerian youth tempered by sadness?

9. What attitudes and feelings does Camus convey to the reader in the opening paragraphs of his essay 'Return to Tipasa'?

10. Comment on the title of the essay 'Helen's Exile'.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Viewing this collection of Albert Camus' essays as a whole, how would you assess their importance in relation to current attitudes to the meaning of life, non-violence and conservation. This essay is a high-order task. You will need to demonstrate your deep understanding of the work you have studied. In preparation, you should review and reflect upon the central issues dealt with in Camus' work and check that you thoroughly understand his continual reference to the myths and philosophy of Ancient Greece.

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

'Philosophy is simultaneously important and unimportant.' Can you explain the apparent paradox in this statement? You should make close reference to Camus' absurdist beliefs as expounded in The Myth of Sisyphus. You might like to consider what other paradoxes appear in this work and discuss the possibility of these being resolved.

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