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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 did Ramanujan practice as part of his religion?

2. What contributed to Ramanujan's status as a potential husband?

3. Who was G. H. Hardy?

4. What does Kanigel say about Ramanujan's marriage?

5. When did Ramanujan publish his first journal article?

Short Essay Questions

1. How was Ramanujan's health as a child?

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

3. How was Ramanujan's first paper received?

4. Who were the Apostles?

5. How did Ramanujan distinguish himself as a math student?

6. Why did Ramanujan's parents have a hard time finding a wife for him?

7. What problems in Ramanujan's thinking came from his use of 'A Synopsis of Elementary Results in Pure and Applied Mathematics'?

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

9. Describe Ramanujan's place of birth.

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

To what extent was math a social enterprise for Ramanujan? How much did his career depend on other people? What made other people believe in him? What values did those people have that made it important to help Ramanujan?

Essay Topic 2

What were the two or three most influential influences in forming Ramanujan's character. What were the two or three most influential conflicts or absences or desires in shaping Ramanujan's character?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the importance of money and class status in Ramanujan's life. Was it important, or incidental? Where did he run into difficulties, or challenges, because of money? How did he solve them?

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