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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 do Beatrice and Bodkin react to Kerans' suggestion in the end of Chapter 10?

2. Who establishes a temporary agreement in Chapter 14?

3. How do Kerans, Beatrice, and Bodkin treat the incident in Chapter 9 afterward?

4. How does Bodkin unintentionally disclose his familiarity with the drained basin?

5. Whom does Strangman introduce as "the Admiral"?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Who lunges at Kerans with a blade and why?

3. How does the wrecked penthouse suite influence Kerans' perspective and decision-making?

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

5. Who is carrying a bomb at the dinner party and what happens?

6. How does Kerans perceive Strangman and what unsettles him about him?

7. What does Strangman give Beatrice?

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

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

10. How does Kerans navigate his journey south and what challenges does he face?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In The Drowned World, Ballard portrays a world in which the boundaries between human and animal, conscious and unconscious, begin to break down. Discuss the theme of metamorphosis in the book and its significance for the characters.

Essay Topic 2

How does the breakdown of society in The Drowned World reflect the breakdown of human civilization? What does this say about human nature?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the psychological effects of the extreme environmental changes on the characters. How does the heat and the flooded world affect their mental health?

(see the answer keys)

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