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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How long does Joncour work with the eggs to prepare them for sale?
(a) 2 weeks.
(b) 2 months.
(c) Not at all.
(d) 7 days.

2. Where does Joncour live?
(a) In England.
(b) Over a coffee shop.
(c) In a villa at the beach.
(d) In a house outside of Lavilledieu.

3. What did Herve Joncour's father want him to do for a living?
(a) Be a silk manufacturer.
(b) Be mayor.
(c) Have a career in the army.
(d) Be a baker.

4. With whom does Joncour negotiate the sale of silk eggs the first time?
(a) A man he meets in the harbor of Japan.
(b) The mistress of Hara Kei.
(c) A Japanese official.
(d) A man masked by black silk.

5. How does Joncour describe Japan when asked after his first trip?
(a) "Exotic."
(b) "Invisible."
(c) "Lost."
(d) "Incredible."

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Joncour do first when he arrives back at his home?

2. What kind of silkworm eggs does Joncour buy in 1861?

3. Five years after Baldabiou arrived on the scene, how many silk factories were established in the town?

4. Who was Joncour's dad?

5. What color flowers does Madame Blanche wear?

Short Essay Questions

1. After his travels to Africa, how does Joncour describe his trip when someone asks? Why does he not give a better description?

2. Describe how silk eggs hatch and what happens to them.

3. When the silkworm disease begins to spread in the early 1860s, Baldabiou observes that "nearly" all of the eggs are affected. What is he thinking? Where is he thinking of buying eggs?

4. Is Joncour really disinterested in what is happening in Japan as the novel progresses? Is he following the news? Does he care if he ever gets back? What is holding his interest in his leisure time?

5. What does Helene do with the silk scarf her husband brings home to her? Why does she react that way? What do you think Helene senses about her husband?

6. What happened when Jean Berbeck decided not to speak anymore? Why is this significant information in getting to know the character of Joncour?

7. What happens every time Hara Kei appears? Who leaves? Is this by design? Why do you think that?

8. Why does the mistress bring an Asian girl for Joncour? What is this a symbol of for both of them?

9. When Joncour turns 33-years-old, how does the author describe his life? How is peace compared to rain? Why do you think the author used this description?

10. After Joncour is given the note, he stops for a moment on his way out of town when leaving for home. Why does he stop? What is he doing? What is he thinking? What message is he trying to convey?

(see the answer keys)

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