View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Joncour notice when his wife comes to kiss him goodnight?
(a) That her smile is vacant.
(b) That her eyes are brown.
(c) That her nightgown falls open.
(d) That her hair falls over her shoulder.

2. For the letters to be translated, Joncour must promise what?
(a) That he'll never return.
(b) That he'll never ask about Japan.
(c) That he'll pay money.
(d) That he'll sleep with Madame Blanche.

3. How long does Joncour stay at the village of Hara Kei on the fourth trip, surveying the damage?
(a) For hours.
(b) For days.
(c) He leaves immediately.
(d) For a week.

4. When Helene and Joncour see Baldabiou off at the train station, what does Helene do?
(a) She runs beside the train.
(b) She is happy to see him out of her life.
(c) She smiles and tilts her head, crying.
(d) She enbraces Baldabiou and cries.

5. What does Joncour find when he arrives at the port of Shirakawa on his fourth (last) trip to Japan?
(a) The water is too high and there is flooding.
(b) Half of the port is destroyed.
(c) All of the ships are crowded.
(d) The boats are all gone.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where does Joncour take the letter to be translated?

2. When Joncour tells Baldabiou about the mistress, what does he say?

3. What is inside the envelope that Joncour receives after his last trip to Japan?

4. What does Joncour notice about the other passengers on the train as he travels home from his fourth trip to Japan?

5. After his last trip to Japan, how does the town view Joncour?

Short Essay Questions

1. The envelope that Joncour receives is mailed from Ostend, which is in Belgium. Who do you think sent the letters knowing this information?

2. How did the changes in the world described in Chapter 54 change Joncour's world? How did these changes affect the silk trade? Explain.

3. When the young boy is hanged, why does Hara Kei say the boy was the message of love? What does he mean by that? Does this have anything to do with the boy's happy disposition? What?

4. When Joncour's wife asks about the aviary, what does he say to her? What do you think she is thinking about her husband's actions? Do you think she is aware that something is going on?

5. On the fourth trip to Japan, when Joncour offers gold to Hara Kei, what is he buying?

6. On his fourth trip to Japan, what does Joncour find when he arrives at Hara Kei's village? How does he see the village? What is the state of the village a symbol of?

7. Why do Joncour and Helene name a daughter Agnes? What is this referring to? Who is this a tribute to?

8. For the fourth trip to Japan, Baldabiou is unsure whether or not to send Joncour. What are his misgivings? When discussing it with Joncour, who is he trying to convince?

9. What does Joncour mean when he says to the Englishman, "We are all marvelous, and we are all revolting"?

10. Why does the author describe the train trip so vividly returning from Japan on the fourth trip? What is the significance of the heat that Joncour sees on the fields and with the other passengers? What is he watching happening?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,505 words (approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample