A Happy Death MCQs

A Happy Death MCQs

A Happy Death MCQs

1. What time of day was it when Patrice Mersault approached Zagreus’s villa?

A. Noon
B. Ten in the morning
C. Late afternoon
D. Early evening

B. Ten in the morning.

2. What was Patrice Mersault carrying as he walked toward the villa?

A. A bag of groceries
B. A satchel of books
C. A suitcase
D. A map

C. A suitcase.

3. What type of flowers were noted in the square near Zagreus’ villa?

A. Roses
B. Tulips
C. Geraniums
D. Lilies

C. Geraniums.

4. Where was Zagreus sitting when Mersault entered the room?

A. By the window
B. In an armchair by the fire
C. At a desk
D. In bed

B. In an armchair by the fire.

5. What physical condition defined Zagreus?

A. Blindness
B. Deafness
C. Cripple (stumps of legs)
D. Muteness

C. Cripple (stumps of legs).

6. What book title did Mersault read upside down on Zagreus’s blanket?

A. The Outsider
B. The Stranger
C. The Courtier
D. The Plague

C. The Courtier.

7. Who wrote the book Zagreus was reading?

A. Albert Camus
B. Jean-Paul Sartre
C. Baltasar Gracian
D. Fyodor Dostoevsky

C. Baltasar Gracian.

8. What was used to wrap the packets of bills inside the strongbox?

A. Cloth
B. Newspaper
C. Foil
D. Brown paper

B. Newspaper.

9. How did Mersault position the revolver before opening Zagreus’s letter?

A. On the table
B. Under his left arm
C. In his pocket
D. On the blanket

B. Under his left arm.

10. What did Zagreus’ handwritten note say he was doing away with?

A. A miserable life
B. Only half a man
C. All his suffering
D. His possessions

B. Only half a man.

11. What did Zagreus ask Mersault to use the leftover money for?

A. To fund an orphanage
B. To improve conditions for men in death row
C. To help the poor
D. To buy books

B. To improve conditions for men in death row.

12. What action did Mersault take with the revolver immediately after the shot?

A. Threw it in the fire
B. Thrust it into Zagreus’s right hand
C. Placed it on the chest
D. Put it in his suitcase

B. Thrust it into Zagreus’s right hand.

13. What sound signaled the butcher driving away?

A. A car door slamming
B. A shrill horn sound
C. A loud engine noise
D. A dog barking

B. A shrill horn sound.

14. After leaving the villa, what did Mersault do when he reached his room?

A. Counted the money
B. Wrote a letter
C. Lay down on his bed and slept
D. Cleaned the revolver

C. Lay down on his bed and slept.

15. What fragrance mixed with the smell of tar in the harbor?

A. Seaweed
B. Dusty fragrance of wheat sacks
C. Diesel fuel
D. Fish

B. Dusty fragrance of wheat sacks.

16. What material was the stevedore’s broken arm wound dripping blood onto?

A. Wood planks
B. Scorching stones
C. Dock rail
D. Cement pavement

B. Scorching stones.

17. Who was Emmanuel?

A. A stevedore
B. Mersault’s supervisor
C. One of the clerks
D. The restaurant owner’s son

C. One of the clerks.

18. What activity caused Emmanuel to start singing?

A. Eating
B. Running
C. Swimming
D. Working

C. Swimming.

19. What physical characteristic of Mersault was noted as curiously young and vigorous?

A. His hands
B. His body
C. His face
D. His walk

B. His body.

20. What was the restaurant owner’s name?

A. Emmanuel
B. Langlois
C. Celeste
D. Rene

C. Celeste.

21. What did Celeste say he would do if he made a million francs?

A. Buy a big city house
B. Buy a cabin on the beach and stick a flag in his navel
C. Quit working entirely
D. Travel the world

B. Buy a cabin on the beach and stick a flag in his navel.

22. What battle did Emmanuel start telling Celeste he had fought?

A. Battle of Algiers
B. Battle of the Marne
C. Battle of Verdun
D. Battle of Britain

B. Battle of the Marne.

23. Who was Rene?

A. Celeste’s son
B. A gas company worker
C. The barrelmaker
D. A salesman

A. Celeste’s son.

24. What ailment was Rene suffering from?

A. Liver trouble
B. TB (tuberculosis)
C. Diabetes
D. Rheumatism

B. TB (tuberculosis).

25. Where was Mersault’s apartment located?

A. Above a bakery
B. Above a horse butcher’s
C. Near the docks
D. In the center of town

B. Above a horse butcher’s.

26. What was written on the sign Mersault read from his balcony?

A. Fresh Meat Daily
B. To Man’s Noblest Conquest
C. Butcher Shop
D. Finest Cuts

B. To Man’s Noblest Conquest.

27. What disease had afflicted Mersault’s mother?

A. Cancer
B. Heart failure
C. Terrible swelling disease (aggravated by diabetes)
D. Pneumonia

C. Terrible swelling disease (aggravated by diabetes).

28. How long did Mersault’s mother’s suffering last before she died?

A. One year
B. Five years
C. Ten years
D. Twenty years

C. Ten years.

29. What item of furniture did Mersault keep in his mother’s room (besides the wardrobe and dressing table)?

A. The old brass bed
B. The dining room table
C. The rocking chair
D. The sewing machine

A. The old brass bed.

30. What fragrance sometimes rose into Mersault’s room on summer nights from the yard?

A. Jasmine
B. Orange blossoms
C. Tar and coffee
D. Mint

B. Orange blossoms.

31. How many pigeonholes covered the walls of Mersault’s office room?

A. 100
B. 414
C. 500
D. Too many to count

B. 414.

32. Who was the supervisor Mersault avoided in the office?

A. Celeste
B. Emmanuel
C. Monsieur Langlois
D. Madame Herbillon

C. Monsieur Langlois.

33. What object on Mersault’s desk showed a religious procession in Newfoundland?

A. A photograph
B. A painting
C. A bright-colored calendar
D. A newspaper clipping

C. A bright-colored calendar.

34. After eating dinner on Saturday, what activity did Mersault engage in before going to sleep?

A. Reading
B. Smoking
C. Doing chores
D. Writing

B. Smoking.

35. What advertisement did Mersault cut out and paste into his booklet on Sunday?

A. For a car
B. For a travel agency
C. For Kruschen Salts
D. For a new suit

C. For Kruschen Salts.

36. Which group of people came first in the Sunday afternoon procession Mersault observed from his balcony?

A. Young men with red ties
B. Families with children in sailor suits
C. Soccer fans
D. Older people heading to cafes

B. Families with children in sailor suits.

37. Why did Mersault initially like being with Marthe in public?

A. She was quiet and reserved
B. She displayed her beauty, giving him a wonderful sense of ease/elegance
C. She paid for their expenses
D. She admired him greatly

B. She displayed her beauty, giving him a wonderful sense of ease/elegance.

38. What made Mersault feel rage and humiliation in the theater lobby?

A. Marthe ignoring him
B. Marthe talking too loud
C. Seeing his own face reflected in the mirrors
D. Marthe greeting a former lover

D. Marthe greeting a former lover.

39. What did Marthe’s face resemble with her golden eyes and made-up lips?

A. A movie star
B. A painted goddess
C. A flower
D. A childhood memory

B. A painted goddess.

40. What term did Mersault often use to address Marthe after making love?

A. Darling
B. Sweetheart
C. Image
D. Angel

C. Image.

41. What was Marthe’s profession?

A. Waitress
B. Secretary
C. Dancer
D. Housekeeper

B. Secretary.

42. What physical attribute of Mersault did Marthe notice in strangers or film actors?

A. His smile
B. His gestures
C. His height
D. His self-conscious litheness

B. His gestures.

43. Approximately how many lovers did Marthe tell Mersault she had had?

A. Two or three
B. Maybe ten
C. Too many to count
D. Only one

B. Maybe ten.

44. Which former lover of Marthe did Mersault know?

A. Zagreus
B. Emmanuel
C. Rene
D. Celeste

C. Rene.

45. How did Marthe describe Zagreus to Mersault?

A. A miserable man
B. The first one, nice, educated, a character
C. A poor, lonely cripple
D. A bitter intellectual

B. The first one, nice, educated, a character.

46. What did Zagreus say about seeing a good body that Marthe relayed to Mersault?

A. It makes him sad
B. It helps him breathe
C. It makes him angry
D. It makes him jealous

B. It helps him breathe.

47. Who were the “little grinds” Marthe mentioned?

A. Young girls from the neighborhood
B. Students in Tunis (Rose and Claire)
C. Mersault’s coworkers
D. Other hostesses

B. Students in Tunis (Rose and Claire).

48. According to Mersault, at his and Marthe’s age, what do people do instead of loving each other?

A. They deceive each other
B. They please each other
C. They tolerate each other
D. They marry each other

B. They please each other.

49. What did Mersault initially say annoyed him about Zagreus?

A. His boyish laugh
B. His talking too much
C. His arrogance
D. That he was a “half-portion” who bragged

D. That he was a “half-portion” who bragged.

50. What object in Zagreus’s room was described as having a withdrawn face?

A. A portrait of his father
B. The Khmer Buddha on the desk
C. An old clock
D. A statue of an angel

B. The Khmer Buddha on the desk.

51. How did Mersault respond when Zagreus noted he looked tired?

A. Yes, I don’t know what to do.
B. I’m fine.
C. The trip exhausted me.
D. The weather is depressing.

A. Yes, I don’t know what to do.

52. According to Zagreus, how does a man always judge himself?

A. By his wealth
B. By his social standing
C. By the balance between body needs and mind demands
D. By his relationships

C. By the balance between body needs and mind demands.

53. What did Mersault say his ‘one duty’ was, according to Zagreus, due to his healthy body?

A. To work hard
B. To live and be happy
C. To help others
D. To reflect deeply

B. To live and be happy.

54. What realization did Mersault have regarding the future while speaking to Zagreus?

A. He was meant for mediocrity
B. He would be the experiment of his life, not make an experiment out of it
C. He needed to travel
D. He would return to school

B. He would be the experiment of his life, not make an experiment out of it.

55. What prevented Mersault from achieving the life he desired, according to him?

A. His lack of money
B. His job/eight hours a day at the office
C. Marthe
D. His sickness

B. His job/eight hours a day at the office.

56. What did Zagreus say was stúpid, false, and cowardly regarding happiness?

A. Believing happiness is easy
B. Thinking money isn’t necessary for happiness
C. Ignoring one’s body
D. Being touchy

B. Thinking money isn’t necessary for happiness.

57. According to Zagreus, what is having money primarily equated to?

A. Power
B. Fame
C. Time
D. Security

C. Time.

58. How much money had Zagreus accumulated by the age of twenty-five?

A. Several hundred thousand francs
B. Nearly two million francs
C. Five million crowns
D. Enough for a small house

B. Nearly two million francs.

59. What accident immediately followed Zagreus making his fortune?

A. He lost his wealth
B. The accident that took off his legs
C. He was arrested
D. He became ill

B. The accident that took off his legs.

60. What items lay on top of the safe in Zagreus’s chest?

A. A gold watch and a key
B. A white envelope and a large black revolver
C. Bills and a letter
D. Baltasar Gracian’s book

B. A white envelope and a large black revolver.

61. What did Zagreus do to calm the fever of his cheeks during his ritual?

A. Drank cold tea
B. Pressed and rolled his forehead against the cold steel of the gun
C. Smoked a cigarette
D. Looked out the window

B. Pressed and rolled his forehead against the cold steel of the gun.

62. What did Zagreus lick and stick his tongue into during his ritual?

A. The brass trays
B. The book cover
C. The gun barrel
D. The safe lock

C. The gun barrel.

63. Zagreus measured the misery and cruelty of civilization by the stúpid axiom:

A. Money is time
B. Happy nations have no history
C. A body deserves its ideal
D. Idleness is fatal

B. Happy nations have no history.

64. When Mersault held out his hand to Zagreus at the end of the visit, how did Zagreus respond?

A. Shook it warmly
B. Shook his head and laughed too loud
C. Refused the gesture
D. Asked for help

B. Shook his head and laughed too loud.

65. What final advice did Zagreus give Mersault?

A. Don’t take anything seriously except happiness
B. Find a new job
C. Get married soon
D. Travel the world

A. Don’t take anything seriously except happiness.

66. What was the name of the barrelmaker who rented rooms from Mersault?

A. Zagreus
B. Emmanuel
C. Cardona
D. Celeste

C. Cardona.

67. What was Cardona doing when Mersault went into his apartment?

A. Reading
B. Sobbing like a child
C. Cleaning
D. Arguing with his dog

B. Sobbing like a child.

68. What was the picture at Cardona’s feet?

A. His sister
B. His former lover
C. An old woman (his mother)
D. His dog

C. An old woman (his mother).

69. What two physical impairments did Cardona suffer from?

A. Blind and crippléd
B. Deaf and half-dúmb
C. Crippléd and mute
D. Deaf and blind

B. Deaf and half-dúmb.

70. What did Cardona’s sister say his affection for their mother was often proven by?

A. Buying her gifts
B. Caring for her constantly
C. Teasing her with abuse of priests and the Church
D. Cleaning the house

C. Teasing her with abuse of priests and the Church.

71. Cardona preferred frequenting cafes because they were a refuge against what?

A. Poverty
B. Violence
C. The terrors of solitude and vague aspirations
D. Hunger

C. The terrors of solitude and vague aspirations.

72. Why did Mersault feel powerless when confronting Cardona’s pain?

A. He was too sick
B. He felt respect for that animal pain
C. He hated Cardona
D. He didn’t know what to say

B. He felt respect for that animal pain.

73. What realization did Mersault have while sitting in Cardona’s room?

A. That he missed his mother
B. That his rebellion was the only authentic thing in him
C. That he needed a woman
D. That he was also poor

B. That his rebellion was the only authentic thing in him.

74. What did Mersault do the morning after visiting Cardona?

A. Killed Zagreus
B. Went to the office
C. Visited Marthe
D. Left Algiers

A. Killed Zagreus.

75. What reason did Mersault give others for leaving Algiers?

A. To escape the police
B. To visit family
C. To go to France for a rest
D. To start a new career

C. To go to France for a rest.

76. Where did Marthe’s letter of farewell from Mersault reach her?

A. Algiers
B. Marseilles
C. Lyons
D. Prague

C. Lyons.

77. What detail did Marthe mention about Zagreus’s burial?

A. It was sparsely attended
B. It was a sad affair
C. They had to use pillows to wedge his body into the coffin
D. It was delayed due to the investigation

C. They had to use pillows to wedge his body into the coffin.

78. Where did Mersault travel to after leaving Lyons?

A. Marseilles
B. Vienna
C. Genoa
D. Prague

D. Prague.

79. In what language did Mersault initially speak to the hotel clerk in Prague?

A. English
B. German
C. French
D. Czech

B. German.

80. What was the cheapest room rate offered at the Prague hotel?

A. 30 crowns
B. 25 crowns
C. 18 crowns
D. 14 crowns

C. 18 crowns.

81. What lay on the “sickening carpet” in Mersault’s hotel room?

A. Old books
B. Yellow flowers against a gray background
C. Broken glass
D. Dust clots

B. Yellow flowers against a gray background.

82. Why did Mersault pay the old porter 14 crowns?

A. For room tax
B. For the cost of a taxi the porter took
C. For storage fees
D. For the porter’s service

B. For the cost of a taxi the porter took.

83. What strong, pungent odor assaulted Mersault in the dark Prague streets?

A. Tar and oil
B. Flowers and decay
C. Vinegar and cucumbers
D. Burning wood

C. Vinegar and cucumbers.

84. What item was on the man’s buttonhole who sat across from Mersault in the restaurant cellar?

A. A flower
B. A red star
C. A military pin
D. A gold cross

B. A red star.

85. What realization did Mersault have about the accordionist in the restaurant?

A. He was very old
B. He was blind
C. He was Zagreus’ brother
D. He was singing in French

B. He was blind.

86. What feeling overwhelmed Mersault upon seeing the dead man in the street in Prague?

A. Terror
B. Contemplation and innocence
C. Shame
D. Confusion

B. Contemplation and innocence.

87. What burst from Mersault’s eyes as he thought of cities, sunlight, and women in his room?

A. Vomit
B. Sweat
C. Tears
D. Blood

C. Tears.

88. What did Mersault look at on the white plaque inside the train compartment?

A. Advertisements
B. The destination
C. Warnings in three languages not to lean out
D. The train schedule

C. Warnings in three languages not to lean out.

89. What did Mersault see flying over the vast Silesian plain?

A. White gulls
B. Black birds with glistening wings
C. Military planes
D. Pigeons

B. Black birds with glistening wings.

90. In Vienna, what luxury did Mersault prefer strolling through along the Ring?

A. The museums
B. The shopwindows and elegant women
C. St. Stephen’s Cathedral
D. The dancehalls

B. The shopwindows and elegant women.

91. What image filled Mersault with a “strange mixture of bitterness and delight” in Vienna?

A. The River Danube
B. The sight of the poor
C. The futile caracole of stone horses in the sunset
D. The opulent palaces

C. The futile caracole of stone horses in the sunset.

92. What food did Mersault mention eating a lot of in Vienna?

A. Sausage and beer
B. Soft-boiled eggs and thick cream
C. Bread and cheese
D. Fruits and vegetables

B. Soft-boiled eggs and thick cream.

93. What did Mersault accidentally leave in Helen’s shoe?

A. A five-hundred shilling note instead of a hundred
B. A cigarette
C. A note of apology
D. A hundred shilling note

A. A five-hundred shilling note instead of a hundred.

94. What did Rose, Claire, and Catherine call their apartment in Algiers?

A. The House of the Lost
B. The House of the Three Students
C. The Algiers Retreat
D. The Home of Happiness

B. The House of the Three Students.

95. Why did Mersault choose to return to Algiers by way of Genoa?

A. To see Marthe
B. He was poisoned by solitude and needed friendship/confidence
C. To invest his money
D. To buy a boat

B. He was poisoned by solitude and needed friendship/confidence.

96. What did Mersault realize he must create during his crossing to Algiers?

A. A new identity
B. His happiness and his justification
C. A new relationship
D. A map of his travels

B. His happiness and his justification.

97. What had attached Mersault to Marthe, in his final analysis on the ship?

A. True love
B. Physical attraction
C. Vanity and power
D. Shared grief

C. Vanity and power.

98. What power did Mersault realize he possessed, akin to children and geniuses, regarding Zagreus?

A. The power to forget
B. The power to create
C. The power of lucidity
D. The power of wealth

A. The power to forget.

99. What do Patrice and Catherine eat for breakfast on the terrace?

A. Eggs and bacon
B. Salted tomatoes, potato salad, honey, and fruit
C. Coffee and bread
D. Cereals

B. Salted tomatoes, potato salad, honey, and fruit.

100. What was the nickname for Patrice among his friends?

A. The Traveler
B. The Philosopher
C. The Boy
D. The Silent One

C. The Boy.

101. What does Catherine do with her bathing suit to get a tan?

A. Takes it off completely
B. Pulls it down to her hips
C. Covers it with a towel
D. Switches to a bikini

B. Pulls it down to her hips.

102. What did the inhabitants call their house?

A. The House of Solitude
B. The House above the World
C. The House of the Sun
D. The House of Joy

B. The House above the World.

103. The world was viewed by the inhabitants of the house as what kind of entity?

A. A personage
B. An enemy
C. A backdrop
D. A silent observer

A. A personage.

104. What animal instinct was attributed to Catherine?

A. For hunting
B. For what is essential
C. For cleanliness
D. For travel

B. For what is essential.

105. What was Rose’s escape into the world?

A. Reading
B. Writing
C. Cats (Gula and Cali)
D. Cooking

C. Cats (Gula and Cali).

106. Which cat was described as perpetually offended, slender, and delicate?

A. Cali
B. Gula
C. Rose
D. Catherine

B. Gula.

107. What did Claire often recommend adding to recipes, even if inappropriate?

A. Pepper
B. Fresh, thick cream
C. Salt
D. Wine

B. Fresh, thick cream.

108. What were Rose and Claire students in Tunis referred to as by Marthe?

A. The intellectuals
B. The idealists
C. The little grinds
D. The little kittens

C. The little grinds.

109. What was Eliane (the first guest) known as by Mersault?

A. The Pragmatist
B. The Idealist
C. The Pessimist
D. The Intellectual

B. The Idealist.

110. What occupation did Noel (the second guest) hold?

A. Lawyer
B. Student
C. Sculptor
D. Broker

C. Sculptor.

111. What taste did Claire playfully announce the bouillabaisse had?

A. Too salty
B. Too spicy
C. Burned onion
D. Too creamy

C. Burned onion.

112. Who did Rose pretend to marry Noel off to during the lunch discussion?

A. Catherine
B. Eliane
C. Herself
D. Claire

C. Herself.

113. Who was Lucienne Raynal?

A. A secretary Mersault met at a friend’s house
B. A model
C. An Algiers socialite
D. Claire’s sister

A. A secretary Mersault met at a friend’s house.

114. What physical feature of Lucienne’s delighted Mersault due to its hint of “mindless beauty”?

A. Her small straight nose
B. Her blond hair
C. Her smooth, curving belly
D. Her silence and closed expression

D. Her silence and closed expression.

115. What did Claire say that life must do if you trust it on good days?

A. Answer you
B. Leave you alone
C. Test you
D. Bring you money

A. Answer you.

116. Where did Mersault decide to buy a little house?

A. In Algiers
B. Near Tipasa ruins (Chenoua)
C. In Marseilles
D. In Vienna

B. Near Tipasa ruins (Chenoua).

117. What business did Mersault invest in to justify his independent life?

A. Real estate
B. German pharmaceuticals
C. Shipping
D. The cafe business

B. German pharmaceuticals.

118. What was Lucienne’s job before Mersault suggested she quit?

A. Secretary for a coal company
B. Teacher
C. Hostess
D. Nurse

A. Secretary for a coal company.

119. What item did Lucienne buy for skimming over the blue sea?

A. A speedboat
B. A white yacht
C. An orange canoe
D. A surfboard

C. An orange canoe.

120. What did Mersault say was the risk of staying at the House above the World?

A. The risk of getting bored
B. The risk of losing his money
C. The risk of being loved
D. The risk of forgetting his purpose

C. The risk of being loved.

121. What did Catherine encourage Mersault to do before he left?

A. Take good care of himself
B. Write often
C. Return soon
D. Find a new job

A. Take good care of himself.

122. What features of the landscape were visible in the framed view between the two pines in the garden?

A. The mountains only
B. The curve of the beach
C. The main highway
D. The whole town

B. The curve of the beach.

123. Who was Perez?

A. The pool player
B. The local doctor
C. The fisherman with one arm
D. The cafe owner

C. The fisherman with one arm.

124. What was the name of the village doctor?

A. Morales
B. Bingues
C. Cardona
D. Bernard

D. Bernard.

125. How long after Mersault invited Lucienne to Chenoua did she begin to bore him?

A. A week
B. Within two days
C. A month
D. Immediately

B. Within two days.

126. What truth did Mersault share with Lucienne about memory and love?

A. Great love lasts forever
B. Everything is forgotten, even a great love
C. Only unhappy passions are remembered
D. Memory fades with age

B. Everything is forgotten, even a great love.

127. When Mersault visited his old neighborhood, who was renting his apartment?

A. A cafe runner
B. Cardona
C. Marthe
D. Monsieur Langlois

A. A cafe runner.

128. What paradox about loving people did Mersault realize after meeting Marthe again?

A. That they were always unfair to him
B. That he loved them only for their beauty
C. That we deceive ourselves twice (first to advantage, then disadvantage)
D. That he shouldn’t have left her

C. That we deceive ourselves twice (first to advantage, then disadvantage).

129. What food did Perez prepare for Mersault after fishing?

A. Grilled fish
B. Cuttlefish in a hot sauce (stewed in their own ink)
C. Fried sardines
D. Octopus salad

B. Cuttlefish in a hot sauce (stewed in their own ink).

130. Mersault believed he had acquired independence by using money as what?

A. A shield
B. A weapon
C. An investment
D. A distraction

B. A weapon.

131. The rhythm of Mersault’s days at Chenoua was organized by the passage from what to what?

A. Morning to night
B. Sun to sun
C. Sea to mountain
D. Effort to rest

B. Sun to sun.

132. Who was the wealthy Spanish landowner in the village known as the King of Spain?

A. Bernard
B. Perez
C. Bingues
D. Morales

D. Morales.

133. What did Morales install in his Greek-style house that amused Bernard and Mersault?

A. A gold bathtub
B. An elevator
C. A secret garden
D. A private theater

B. An elevator.

134. When asked if he was happy on the mountain climb, what did Mersault say mattered most for happiness?

A. Money and time
B. The will to happiness (a kind of enormous, ever-present consciousness)
C. Love and connection
D. Solitude and freedom

B. The will to happiness (a kind of enormous, ever-present consciousness).

135. What did Mersault confess he had to acquire to perfect a life in happiness?

A. More patience
B. Unintelligence (a minimum of ignorance)
C. Better health
D. A stronger will

B. Unintelligence (a minimum of ignorance).

136. What smell permeated the path as Mersault walked home after the girls left, signaling the end of the season?

A. Salt and tar
B. Carobs (smell of love/bitter almonds)
C. Pine needles
D. Wet stone

B. Carobs (smell of love/bitter almonds).

137. How did Mersault experience killing Zagreus when he reflected on it later?

A. With profound regret
B. In the innocence of his heart
C. As a great crime
D. As an unavoidable chore

B. In the innocence of his heart.

138. What illness confined Mersault to his room in January?

A. Grippe
B. Diabetes
C. Pleurisy
D. Fever

C. Pleurisy.

139. During his convalescence walk, what did Mersault realize was born of his patient self-abandonment?

A. A desire for revenge
B. A great melancholy
C. The peace that filled him
D. A return to his past

C. The peace that filled him.

140. When Mersault swam in the moonlight, what did he feel the icy current was like?

A. A dangerous chill
B. The love of some god of clear and impassioned exultation
C. A return to childhood
D. A sign of death

B. The love of some god of clear and impassioned exultation.

141. What substance did Mersault spit up during his physical decline that tasted like blood?

A. Water
B. Bile
C. Phlegm
D. Saliva

C. Phlegm.

142. What was Mersault’s greatest fear during his sickness?

A. Dying alone
B. Dying in unconsciousness (in a coma)
C. Leaving Lucienne
D. Losing his money

B. Dying in unconsciousness (in a coma).

143. What realization dissolved Mersault’s fear of death just before he lost consciousness the first night of fever?

A. The certainty of a next life
B. The memory of Marthe
C. A tremendous chord of tenderness and hope at dawn
D. Bernard’s injection

C. A tremendous chord of tenderness and hope at dawn.

144. What did Bernard give Mersault to swallow if he felt weak again?

A. Penicillin
B. Adrenalin
C. Morphine
D. Cough syrup

B. Adrenalin.

145. What sight in the sky did Mersault recall his mother telling him were the souls of the dead going to paradise?

A. The stars
B. The red clouds
C. The golden sunrise
D. The moon

B. The red clouds.

146. Mersault realized that being afraid of death meant being afraid of what?

A. God
B. Life
C. Suffering
D. Solitude

B. Life.

147. What did Mersault say defined his happiness in living and dying?

A. That he had traveled far
B. That he had married Lucienne
C. That he had created his life with consciousness and courage
D. That he had inherited money

C. That he had created his life with consciousness and courage.

148. What feeling united Mersault and Zagreus in their final moments?

A. Shared regret
B. A heavy approach of tears, mingled taste of life and death
C. Mutual forgiveness
D. Shared physical pain

B. A heavy approach of tears, mingled taste of life and death.

149. What physical sensation indicated to Mersault his body’s continued complicity with life, even while failing?

A. A coughing fit
B. A shudder at Lucienne’s touch
C. The ache in his limbs
D. His irregular breathing

B. A shudder at Lucienne’s touch.

150. What happened in Mersault’s final second of consciousness?

A. He spoke to Lucienne
B. He felt a stone approach his throat and returned to the truth of the motionless worlds
C. He coughed violently
D. He thanked life

B. He felt a stone approach his throat and returned to the truth of the motionless worlds.