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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) 7 days.
(c) Not at all.
(d) 2 months.

2. What work does the Englishman do that Joncour meets in the Japanese village?
(a) He is a silk trader.
(b) He sells pots and pans.
(c) He sells guns.
(d) He sells furs.

3. What color flowers does Madame Blanche wear?
(a) Red.
(b) Green.
(c) White.
(d) Blue.

4. What does Helene do with the gift that Joncour gives her after his first trip to Japan?
(a) She never wears it.
(b) She puts it in a trunk for her daughter.
(c) She wears it all the time.
(d) She wears it to parties.

5. When Joncour asks Baldabiou where Japan is, what does Baldabiou say?
(a) "Where it smells like spices."
(b) "Right to the end of the world."
(c) "Where danger lives."
(d) "Half-way around the world."

Short Answer Questions

1. Who came to Japan in 1853?

2. Who bands together to pay for Joncour's expedition to Japan?

3. When Baldabiou returned to the mayor with the money made from the factories, what did he call the mayor?

4. What does Joncour do for the rest of the year when he's not working?

5. What does Baldabiou observe about the silkworm trade in 1861?

Short Essay Questions

1. When Joncour meets the Englishman in Japan who is selling guns, he asks about the girl. What is the Englishman's reply? Do you think the Englishman has seen the girl? Do you think he knows more than he is saying? What?

2. Why are the silkworms of Japan not affected by disease? What is their history of trade?

3. Describe the party at Hara Kei's house. Who is there? Are these important people? Why? Why not?

4. 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?

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

6. Why does the young girl accompanying Hara Kei not have an Asian slant to her eyes? Does this give the reader a clue to her past? What?

7. When Hara Kei tells Joncour that the mistress "doesn't speak your language", is he referring to more that French? What is he trying to tell Joncour?

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

9. It is against the law to sell silk eggs in Japan. Why is it reasonable in the eyes of the silk manufacturers to break a law in Japan? Are they concerned for the welfare of Joncour? Why? Why not?

10. 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?

(see the answer keys)

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