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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 feel about his brush with death in Chapter 9?

2. What does Kerans accuse Strangman of doing?

3. Where does Chapter 14, "Grand Slam," commence?

4. How does Kerans depict the streets below in Chapter 13?

5. How does Kerans keep track of the passage of days?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Kerans see in the old planetarium?

2. How does Kerans perceive Strangman and what unsettles him about him?

3. How does Kerans' opinion of Strangman change over time?

4. How does Kerans navigate his journey south and what challenges does he face?

5. What does Strangman's offer of a ship tour signify for Kerans, Beatrice, and Bodkin?

6. What is Riggs' justification for not arresting Strangman and his plan for the lagoons?

7. Who lunges at Kerans with a blade and why?

8. How does the wrecked penthouse suite influence Kerans' perspective and decision-making?

9. What does Kerans do after the explosion and what does he say to Beatrice?

10. How does Kerans react when he stumbles upon the remains of a small temple?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Pick one of the main characters and write an essay showing how they have changed over the course of the book. What led to their changes? Why did they change the way they did?

Essay Topic 2

Explore the relationship between Kerans and Beatrice and how it changes over the course of the novel. Why do you think this is?

Essay Topic 3

In The Drowned World, Ballard portrays a world in which the boundaries between human and animal, conscious and unconscious, begin to break down. Discuss the theme of metamorphosis in the book and its significance for the characters.

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