The Plague - Albert Camus

Question 1

“In autumn, on the contrary, there are [inundations] of mud.”

Answer 1

flooding/ over flowing

Question 2

“But perhaps it is time to have done with [preliminaries] and [caveats], and turn to the story it self.”

Answer 2

Preliminaries - something that precedes an event as a preparatory or introductory

caveats - a warning

Question 3

“wearing a suit with makeup to disguise her [pallor]”

Answer 3

a pale ghostly appearance

Question 4

“The measures were far from [draconian] and it appeared a good deal had been done to avoid upsetting public opinion”

Answer 4

Draconian - (of laws or their application) excessively harsh and severe.

name after “Drakon”,statesman of Athens, known for his severe punishments for the elect.

Question 5

“The [preamble] to the [decree] announced that a few cases of [pernicious] fever had been detected in the [commune] of Oran”

Answer 5

Preamble - a preliminary or preparatory statement; an introduction.

Decree - An official order by law

Pernicious - having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way.

Commune - a group of people living together and sharing possessions and responsibilities.
[admittedly, similar to “community” but implies a greater emotional linkage to share work and responsibility rather than a relationship brought out through commonness and frequency]

Question 6

“In normal times, we are all aware, consciously or not, that there is no love which cannot to be surpassed, yet we accept with a greater or lesser degree of [equanimity] that ours shall remain merely average.”

Pg. 59.

Answer 6

Equanimity - a state of evenness and composure in difficult situations especially

Question 7

“Here too, the most authentic of sufferings were [habitually] translated into the [banal] cliches of conversation. “

Pg 60.

Answer 7

Habitually - by way of habit; customarily

Banal - So lacking in originality as to become boring

Question 8

“Thus at the very heart of the epidemic they presented a [salutary] detachment that people were inclined to mistake for cool-head composure.”

Pg. 60

Answer 8

Salutary - beneficial or health giving; especially as an outcome of dire or unpleasant circumstancs

Question 9

“On the whole, they were not cowardly, joking with each other more often than [bewailing] their fate, and pretending to accept with good humour discomforts that would clearly not last”

Pg. 62

Answer 9

Bewailing - expressing great regret or sadness towards or over

Question 10

“Here he had warmly defended a demanding form of Christian which rejected both modern liberalism and [obscurantism] of previous centuries.”

Pg. 72

Answer 10

Obscurantism - the practice of deliberately preventing the facts or full details of something from becoming known.

Question 11

“Only after the remainder of the [oration] did the people realise that, by a clever rhetorical device, like a boxer delivering a blow, the priest had [imparted] the theme of his entire sermon at a single stroke.”

Pg. 73

Answer 11

Oration - a formal speech, especially one given on a ceremonial occasion.

Imparted - make (information) known.
bestow (a quality).

Question 12

“In the vast 1[granary] of the universe, the [implacable] 1[flail] will thresh the human corn until the 1[chaff] is divided from the 1[grain]. There will be more chaff than grain, more called than chosen, and this misfortune was not willed by God. - Father Paneloux

Pg. 74

Answer 12

1[] = allegory from Mathew 3:12, similar to the parable of the sheep and goats.
Granary is a store for threshed grain used for feed.
flail - a threshing tool consisting of a wooden staff with a short heavy stick swinging from it.
chaff, grain - chaff is a dry cover on grain that needs to be beaten off and is considered waste

Implacable- unforgiving and fair[in this sense]

Question 13

“And we, deprived of the light of God, will [languish] for a long time in the darkness of the plague!” - Father Paneloux

Pg. 74

Answer 13

Languish - Grow weak , lose vitality

Question 14

Then the priest expanded even more on the [poignant] image of the flail.

Pg.75

Answer 14

Poignant - touching or evoking sadness or regret

Question 15

“This very [scourge] that [assails] you, rises you up and shows you the way” - Father Paneloux

Pg. 76

Answer 15

Scourge - Punishment or thing that causes suffering

Assails - Challenges or attacks

Question 16

” ‘ I understand the appeal of such [ardour]. At the start of pestilence, and when one is over, people always indulge in a little [rhetoric]. In the first case, the habit is not yet lost and, in the second , it has already returned’ “. - Tarrou’s account

Pg. 89

Answer 16

Ardour - Enthusiasm and excitement

Rhetoric - the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the exploitation of figures of speech and other compositional techniques.

Question 17

“If the epidemic extends, so will the bounds of morality. We shall see the [Milanese saturnalia] besides the tombs”

Pg . 92

Answer 17

Milanese saturnalia - Milanese ( originating in the city of Milan) Saturnalia was a Roman holiday in which feasting, gambling, drinking, and the breaking of the social norms of the time were encouraged.

Question 18

“At that moment, all the [taciturnity] that a hard- working life had imposed on it seemed to lift.”

Pg. 94

Answer 18

Taciturnity - the state or quality of being reserved or reticent in conversation.

Question 19

But they are more or less ignorant and this is what one calls [vice or virtue], the most appalling vice being the ignorance that thinks it knows everything and consequently authorises itself to kill.

Pg. 101

Answer 19

Vice and Virtue - A bad or reprimandable trait and vice versa; different views on their coexistence have been developed in theology and philosophy.

“Vice was mostly defined in theology as the absence of virtue, while philosophers followed Aristotle in locating virtue as a mean between two opposite “vices,” one representing an excess, the other a lack of the virtuous quality in question”

Question 20

” So let say that it was [laudable] of Tarrou and others to have chosen to show that two and two make four rather than otherwise, but let us also say that they shared this good impulse with the schoolmaster and with all those think as he does - whom are more numerous than people think, to the credit of humanity”

Pg. 101

Answer 20

Laudable - Deserving of credit and praise.

Question 21

“After that, he became very concerned about the adjective ‘magnificent’. It was not [evocative] enough, he said, so he was hunting for the word that would capture in a single snapshot the splendid animal that he had in mind. ‘Plump’ was not right: it was concrete, but somewhat [pejorative].”

Pg. 103

Answer 21

Evocative - Evoking strong emotions, images, or memories.

Pejorative - A word expressing contempt and disapproval.

Question 22

” ‘What do you think about “[resplendent]”? ‘ “ - Tarrou

Pg. 103

Answer 22

Resplendent - beautiful through being richly colourful and sumptuous

Question 23

“Kneeling down, they still seemed more hunched up and shrivelled up, like pieces of [coagulated] shadow,”

Pg. 115

Answer 23

Coagulated - change to a solid or semi solid state, especially referring to blood

Question 24

“A few minutes later, two men came over, looked at him without any particular interest, then went over to lean on the [parapet] of the [promenade], seeming altogether absorbed in contemplating the bare, deserted [quays].

Pg. 116

Answer 24

Parapet - a low protective wall along the edge of a roof, bridge, or balcony.

Promenade - a paved public walk, typically one along the seafront at a resort.

Quay - A manmade structure like a dock or pier where boats are tied to

Question 25

“More often, a sudden opportunity would lead [hitherto] honest citizens to reprehensible actions.”

Pg. 132

Answer 25

Hitherto - until now or until the point in time under discussion.

Question 26

“All the formalities were simplified and in general funerary [pomp] and circumstance were discarded.”

Pg. 134

Answer 26

pomp - ceremonial and splendid display

pompous ( ostentatious) comes from this

Question 27

“A decree from the Prefect [expropriated] the occupants from graves leased in [perpetuity] and all the remains were dug up and sent off to the crematorium.”

Pg. 137

Answer 27

Expropriated - seized by legislation

Perpetuity - State of lasting forever

Question 28

“Rather, they suffered a kind of spiritual and physical [emaciation]”
Pg. 139

Answer 28

emaciation - starvation or weakening

Question 29

“The great, fierce surge of feeling of the first weeks had given way to a dejection that it would be wrong to confuse with resignation, but which was despite that a provisional [assent]”

Pg. 140

Answer 29

Assent - Agreement

Question 30

“In other years, the trams had been full of the [vapid] scent of [chrysanthemums] and processions of women making their way to the places their loved ones were buried”

Pg. 183

Answer 30

Vapid - nothing stimulating or challenging, bland

Chrysanthemums - a yellow flower

Question 31

” ‘ Transformed by his red robe he was neither good-natured nor affectionate and his mouth was crammed with [sonorous] phrases which leap from it like serpents.’ “ - Tarrou

Pg. 191

Answer 31

Sonorous - imposing and deep

Question 32

“For months they had persisted in waiting, with [self-effacing] [tenacity], despite prison and exile;”

Answer 32

Self-Effacing - not making yourself noticeable, or not trying to get the attention of other people

Tenacity - persistence

Question 33

“However, at the moment when the plague seemed to be moving away to return to the unknown lair from which it had silently emerged, there was at least one person in the town who thrown into a state of [consternation] by this departure, namely Cottard”

Pg. 212

Answer 33

Consternation - a feeling of anxiety or dismay