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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. What makes 'A Synopsis of Elementary Results in Pure and Applied Mathematics' notable, according to Kanigel?

2. When does Kanigel say Ramanujan got hold of 'A Synopsis of Elementary Results in Pure and Applied Mathematics'?

3. Who was N. Ramanujachariar?

4. What were Ramanujan's parents getting impatient with?

5. Who comprised the Apostles?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the importance of 'A Synopsis of Elementary Results in Pure and Applied Mathematics' in Ramanujan's life.

2. Who were the Apostles?

3. How did Ramanujan's temperament reveal itself when he was a child?

4. What practices did Ramanujan follow as a result of his religion?

5. Describe the difference between English mathematics and Continental mathematics.

6. What was the Bloomsbury Group?

7. What happened after Ramanujan left Kumbakonam's Government College?

8. What happened after Ramanujan left Pachaiyappas College?

9. How did Ramanujan's interest change as he grew up?

10. Describe Ramanujan's place of birth.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Ramanujan was never a teacher, just a theoretical mathematician. Describe the role of researcher and evaluate its benefit to Ramanujan: was it good for him? Would he have been happy or miserable as a teacher?

Essay Topic 2

Write a character sketch of the author based on his handling of the material in Ramanujan's life. What are the author's values like? What evidence do you have for them?

Essay Topic 3

To what extent is Ramanujan's (or Hardy's) life an example to be followed? What lessons do these two lives teach? What lessons did they fail to learn themselves that they teach as negative examples?

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