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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 is the primatologist that insisted on "the unity of all elements on the planet earth--living and non-living" (64)?

2. To what does the author attribute the tendency for the proximity to water being a status symbol in Part 1, Section 9?

3. What giant leap of nature likely led to the extinction of the dinosaurs?

4. When did the site of today's Mumbai first come under European rule when it was ceded to the Portuguese by the ruler of Gujarat?

5. In what century were Mumbai, Chennai, New York, and Charleston founded?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Bankim Chandra Chatterjee discussed in the narrative?

2. How did the tsunami invert the system of rank on the Nicobars?

3. To what does the author attribute mankind's tendency toward living near bodies of water?

4. How are novels about climate change marginalized from mainstream literature, according to the author in Part I, Section 3?

5. How does the climate crisis relate to the human imagination, according to the author in Part I, Section 4?

6. What is Cartesian dualism?

7. Who wrote The Hungry Tide and what is it about?

8. Where are the author's ancestors from? What led to their relocation?

9. What are "fillers" and how do they apply to contemporary literature?

10. How does Mumbai's infrastructure make it vulnerable to cyclones?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the differences in literary form between the East and the West. How has the West influenced the literary forms of the East? How has the East influenced literary forms in the West? What is most prominent today? Why?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the narrative style of The Great Derangement. From what perspective is the narrative related? In what tense is it related? Did you feel enticed to keep reading based on the book's narrative style? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the biography and works of author Amitav Ghosh. Where is the author from? Where did he grow up? Where did he study? How many novels has he written? What are common themes in Ghosh's works?

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