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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. Who endeavors to remove the explosives from the dam?

2. In Chapter 13, whose presence did Kerans unintentionally overlook?

3. How does Kerans handle the attack by someone in the depot ship in Chapter 12?

4. What does Kerans use to navigate his journey?

5. What catches Kerans's curiosity about Strangman?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Kerans care for Lieutenant Hardman during the days they spend together?

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

3. Why did Riggs turn around and come back when he suspected Strangman's presence?

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

5. After the bomb fizzles out, how does Strangman react?

6. How does the narrator depict Kerans as he ventures deeper into the jungle?

7. What menacing creature do they encounter, and how do they deal with it?

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

9. Why does Kerans search for the black boxes containing dynamite?

10. Why does Kerans question Riggs about not arresting Strangman?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Ballard use the character of Kerans to explore the theme of isolation in The Drowned World? Give examples from the text.

Essay Topic 2

In The Drowned World, the characters are often forced to confront their own mortality. Discuss the theme of mortality in the book and how it affects the characters.

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the role of technology in the drowned world and its juxtaposition with the primitive instincts and behaviors that emerge in the characters.

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