The Stranger, Chapter 3 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Before the trial opens, what does Meursault tell the policeman who asks if he has the jitters?

   • Correct answer: That he is even interested in seeing a trial
   • That he is afraid the jury has already decided
   • That he wants to speak for himself in court
   • That he hopes the reporters will stay away

   Meursault says no to the jitters and adds that he is even interested in seeing a trial, since he never had the chance before.

   Read the passage
2. 2

   Question 2. Which of these events happen during the morning session of the trial?

   • A policeman offers Meursault a cigarette, which he turns down.

     Happened

   • Meursault asks the judge for permission to address the jury directly.

     Didn't happen

   • The bailiff brings the three judges fans made of woven straw.

     Happened

   • Marie waves to Meursault anxiously when the witnesses are called.

     Happened

   • The reporter from the Paris paper questions Meursault before the session.

     Didn't happen

   Read the passage
3. 3

   Question 3. What question does the prosecutor put to Meursault during the morning session?

   • Whether he had quarreled with the Arab earlier in the week
   • Correct answer: Whether he went back to the spring intending to kill the Arab
   • Whether he had ever carried Raymond's revolver before that day
   • Whether he could explain the pause between the shots he fired

   The prosecutor asks whether he returned to the spring alone intending to kill the Arab; Meursault says no, it just happened that way.

   Read the passage
4. 4

   Question 4. Which witness is called by the defense, a phrase Meursault notes simply meant him?

   • Raymond
   • Masson
   • Correct answer: Céleste
   • Marie

   The text says they heard the testimony of Céleste, who was called by the defense, and that the defense meant Meursault.

   Read the passage
5. 5

   Question 5. What does the prosecutor make Marie tell the court about the day after Maman's death?

   • That they had argued on the beach that afternoon
   • That Meursault had talked about Maman at dinner
   • That they had spent the evening dancing at a club
   • Correct answer: That the film they saw was a Fernandel comedy

   Having checked the movie listings, the prosecutor has Marie herself say it was a Fernandel film, then calls it a comedy seen for laughs.

   Read the passage
6. 6

   Question 6. Which of these happen during the afternoon testimony?

   • The caretaker admits that he smoked a cigarette with Meursault at the vigil.

     Happened

   • Thomas Pérez says he saw Meursault laughing beside the grave.

     Didn't happen

   • Salamano says Meursault had run out of things to say to Maman.

     Happened

   • Céleste is allowed to finish the whole speech he had prepared.

     Didn't happen

   • Raymond refuses to say whether he and Meursault were friends.

     Didn't happen

   • Masson testifies that Meursault is an honest man.

     Happened

   Read the passage
7. 7

   Question 7. Why does the judge stop Raymond when he blurts out that Meursault is innocent?

   • He has not yet sworn to tell the whole truth
   • He is speaking out of turn before the lawyer
   • Correct answer: He is being asked for facts, not for judgments
   • He is a friend and so cannot judge the case

   The judge advises Raymond that he is being asked not for judgments but for facts, and tells him to wait for the questions.

   Read the passage
8. 8

   Question 8. What job does Raymond give when the prosecutor asks how he makes his living?

   • Dock worker
   • Correct answer: Warehouse guard
   • Café waiter
   • Shipping clerk

   Raymond answers warehouse guard, and the prosecutor tells the jury it is common knowledge that he is a procurer.

   Read the passage
9. 9

   Question 9. How does Meursault's lawyer appear to him at the close of the day's hearing?

   • He smiles and says everything is working out well
   • He demands a recess so that he can recall Marie
   • He leaves the room without speaking to his client
   • Correct answer: He shrugs, wipes his brow, and looks shaken himself

   After the prosecutor's accusation, the lawyer shrugs and wipes the sweat from his brow but looks shaken, and Meursault realizes things are going badly.

   Read the passage
10. 10

    Question 10. Why is Meursault's reaction to Céleste's testimony significant?

    • Correct answer: It is a rare moment of strong feeling toward another person
    • It shows he resents Céleste for speaking about his bill
    • It proves he wants to confess everything to the court
    • It reveals that he now fears the verdict the jury will give

    Meursault makes no gesture, but says it was the first time in his life he wanted to kiss a man, a rare burst of feeling in a narrator known for flatness.

    Read the passage
11. 11

    Question 11. What does 'vehemently' mean in: 'the prosecutor objected vehemently to this question'?

    • In a calm, measured tone
    • In a mocking, playful way
    • Correct answer: With strong, forceful feeling
    • With quiet, polite hesitation

    Vehemently means with intense, forceful feeling; the prosecutor erupts at the defense's question to the caretaker.

    Read the passage
12. 12

    Question 12. What does 'exultant' mean in: 'My lawyer was exultant'?

    • Angry and ready to object
    • Correct answer: Openly triumphant and delighted
    • Worried and deeply unsure of himself
    • Tired and eager to finish

    Exultant means triumphantly happy; the lawyer rejoices when the caretaker admits he offered the coffee.

    Read the passage
13. 13

    Question 13. What does 'propriety' mean in: 'he was duty bound to go beyond propriety'?

    • The rules of evidence in a trial
    • The personal property of the accused
    • The official order in which witnesses speak
    • Correct answer: The standards of proper, polite behavior

    Propriety means conventional correct behavior; the prosecutor claims duty forces him past politeness to question Marie about her private life.

    Read the passage