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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 Kanigel describe the trip to England?

2. How did Ramanujan respond to Hardy's request for proofs?

3. To what extent does Kanigel say Ramanujan blended in with Cambridge society?

4. How does Kanigel describe English society from Ramanujan's point-of-view?

5. What practice does Kanigel say Ramanujan had difficulty adjusting to in England?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was the conflict between Ramanujan's family and his wife?

2. What was Ramanujan's Master Theorem intended to do?

3. Describe the decline of Ramanujan's health.

4. In what way was Ramanujan's experience of England similar to Ghandi's?

5. What problem kept Ramanujan from coming to England, as Hardy hoped he would?

6. What has been the impact of Ramanujan's work?

7. How was Ramanujan treated on his return to India?

8. Describe Ramanujan and Hardy's work on partitions.

9. Describe Ramanujan's trip to England.

10. What accolades did Ramanujan receive for his work?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the intersection the British culture of secret society and prestige with Ramanujan's culture of Brahmin prestige and privilege. How much did these cultures clash in Ramanujan's experience? How did they work together?

Essay Topic 2

What kind of mathematical thinker was Ramanujan? What kinds of problems was he attracted to, and how did he deploy his intelligence to solve them? What kinds of problems did he avoid?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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