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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. How does Kerans suggest dealing with the men on the paddleboat?

2. What interrupts the quiet of the lagoon one morning in Chapter 7?

3. What problem does Riggs ask Kerans to help him with?

4. What do Kerans, Bodkin, and Beatrice sense about their relationship in Chapter 6?

5. What does Kerans experience at the beginning of Chapter 5?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do the freebooters inspect the buildings in the lagoon?

2. What does Kerans deduce about the men using alligators as "watchdogs"?

3. What does the conversation between Riggs and Kerans reveal about their roles and concerns in this changing world?

4. Which character is shot and injured by Hardman and how did it happen?

5. What object does Kerans take from the armory and why?

6. What is the significance of Riggs' departure in relation to the remaining characters?

7. Who is Lieutenant Hardman?

8. What does Kerans dream about?

9. Who yells out of the door of a helicopter to Beatrice and Kerans and what does he say?

10. What is the significance of the arrival of the hydroplane and the destruction caused by the ships in the lagoon?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the significance of the protagonist's Neuronic Odyssey and how does it relate to the broader themes of the novel?

Essay Topic 2

How does Ballard use the character of Dr. Robert Kerans to explore the theme of scientific progress in The Drowned World? What is the relationship between science and nature in the book?

Essay Topic 3

How does Ballard use the character of Beatrice Dahl to explore the theme of femininity in The Drowned World? What role does femininity play in the book?

(see the answer keys)

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