IS THE STRANGER 1 ANGRY MAN?
An Exam in 10 Questions
Directions
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OPEN a Word document on your laptop.
WRITE your name on it.
SAVE it as Stranger Exam (your initials).
NUMBER 1 through 10, plus a BONUS.
RECEIVE 10 points for every correct response,
including the BONUS! (Total: 100 pts)
 ANSWER all questions in complete sentences.
 PRINT your finished exam by bringing your laptop
to me… we will print from my printer.
 GOOD LUCK! 
1.
 Tell a true story of how you have been a
“stranger” to someone/some group yet
managed to resolve a problem.
 Reference Freud’s views on YOUR
id, ego and superego in the tale.
2.
 Choose two (2) of the scenarios below.
 In at least two sentences, describe how YOUR id, ego and
superego might work together to resolve each of your two
conflicts.
A) It’s Tuesday afternoon. You find a $50 bill (YAY!) in the hallway in front
of B-23. You buy Call of Duty: Black Ops II for $45. Later, you overhear
a close friend complaining she lost a $50 bill in front of B-23 on
Tuesday morning. She was going to use it for medicine for her sick
little brother.
B) You have a killer GPA and you get more As than an Appalachian
aardvark. However, you totally blanked and forgot about the Honors
Physics exam today. You definitely needed to study for it, so even
with your smarts, you probably will not get higher than a C. Your
teacher has to make an emergency trip to the bathroom just as you
notice the exam’s Answer Key on his desk. No one else sees it.
C) Kids in school think you are a certain “type” of person. (Hint: You
have a negative reputation.) You realize if you secretly spread a
rumor about yourself, all will change for you in a big and positive
way. No one will ever know it was YOU who started the rumor.
 In The Stranger and 12 Angry Men, think about
the recurring theme that the will of an
3. individual opposes the will of the majority.
 In a general sense, a) describe how both
Monsieur Meursault (The Stranger) and Juror
#8 (12 Angry Men) are defined as “strangers” in
their respective stories, b) how each opposes
the will of the majority and c) whether they are
successful or not and why.
4.
 Reveal YOUR reasoning why any five (5) of the
characters below either directly or indirectly led to
Meursault’s crime and ultimate execution.
(Think about their relationships with him…)
-Maman
-Raymond Sintes
-Maria Cardona
-Salamano
-The Arab
-The Examining Magistrate
-The Chaplain
-The Sun
5.
 In 12 Angry Men, the three forms of argument the
jurors use are calm reasoning, emotional appeals
and shouting. A) Describe a scene from the film
where each is shown, B) reveal the reason why
each argument was chosen, C) then decide if the
argument was effective and why.
6.
 Give three examples from history in which a
“Juror #8” type of person fought against
insurmountable odds to achieve victory.
--Describe how he/she achieved it!
--Use the Web for help!
7.
 Similar to the Billy Joel song “The Stranger,”
describe a song, short story, poem, play, TV
show or film in which a protagonist is not who
he/she appears to be to others.
8.
 The murder of the Arab at the end of Part One
of The Stranger marks the turning point of the
book where Meursault’s “unhappiness” truly
begins.
 Reveal how Meursault’s quest for happiness
results in his unhappiness by describing three
(3) of his past actions the prosecutor uses
against him in the courtroom to illuminate him
as a heartless, evil character.
9.
The Stranger is considered primarily “absurdist” fiction. However, critics
argue the story reveals elements of existentialism too.
1) Define absurdism AND existentialism and 2) reveal how each quote
below is an example of how Meursault lives and acts according to either
philosophical thought.
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1. “Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know. I got a telegram from the
home: ‘Mother deceased. Funeral tomorrow. Faithfully yours.’ That doesn’t mean
anything. Maybe it was yesterday.” (1.1.1)
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2. “He told me that I’d have to act as a witness for him. It didn’t matter to me, but I didn’t
know what I was supposed to say. According to Raymond, all I had to do was to state that
the girl had cheated on him. I agreed to act as a witness for him.” (1.4.5)
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3. “As if that blind rage has washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that
night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world.
Finding it so much life myself – so like a brother, really – I felt that I had been happy and
that I was happy again. For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I
had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and
that they greet me with cries of hate.” (2.5.26)
10.
Based on each scenario below, determine why, as a
juror, you may/may not have reasonable doubt.
 A bank is robbed of $240,000 by a masked perpetrator. The only witness
to the crime is a 4-year old boy who loves Adventure Time and ScoobyDoo. He points out the “perp” in court: his “mean bus driver who yelled”
at him when he refused to take his seat last week.
 A man has supposedly murdered his brother over the rights to land that
has been in their family for generations. The supposed perpetrator
would stand to inherit all the land as the last surviving family member.
However, he has an alibi for the time of the crime: He was with his
girlfriend watching the Eagles lose their 8th game in a row.
 John Smith, the town recluse, has been arrested several times for
suspected arson but never been convicted due to lack of evidence. He is
identified as the suspect of the Wal-Mart and Taco Bell fires that injured
14 people based on the large quantities of gasoline he recently
purchased. He claims innocence, stating the court has “the wrong John
Smith.”
BONUS!
 By the film’s end, we can assume the “kid” in 12 Angry
Men did not kill his father. We, the viewers, have a
reasonable doubt!
 Give your reasoning why he did commit the crime.
Use at least three (3) of these terms in your debate:
-Motivation
-Environment
-Weapon
-Opportunity
-Past Experiences
-Poverty
YOU”RE DONE!
 Bring your laptop up to your awesome, cool,
funny, handsome, memorable teacher K.
 He will plug into your computer and print out
your answers.
 Have a seat, search the web if you’d like, or do
work for other classes until all students have
finished. 