View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Bodkin congratulate Kerans on?

2. Why does Kerans take a compass from the armory?

3. What happens to the helicopter in the pursuit of Hardman?

4. What type of insects does Kerans see buzzing past his balcony?

5. Why does Riggs explain that the conditions near the sanctuary will become uninhabitable?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. Who suddenly disappears and why?

5. What scientific idea does Bodkin propose?

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

7. What eats Kerans’ catamaran and why?

8. How does the novel address themes of environmental destruction and climate change?

9. Why is Dr. Alan Bodkin more interested in the flooded cities than Kerans?

10. Why do Kerans and Beatrice decide to reveal themselves to the freebooters?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the writing style of J.G. Ballard in The Drowned World. What literary techniques does he use to create the atmosphere and convey the themes of the novel?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 760 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample