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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. What does Baldabiou say it is like to hold Japanese silk?
2. When Baldabiou returned to the mayor with the money made from the factories, what did he call the mayor?
3. What happens to the silk eggs in Europe at the beginning of the novel?
4. What does Madame Blanche say the note reads?
5. At the house of Hara Kei, what does he have caged near the entrance?
Short Essay Questions
1. What is the symbolism of the exotic birds kept caged at the house of Hara Kei? What does this tell Joncour? What else does Joncour see at Hara Kei's house?
2. When Hara Kei asks Joncour who he is, what does he tell him? Why does he give so much detail? Is it necessary to tell the whole truth? Why does Joncour do this?
3. What happens every time Hara Kei appears? Who leaves? Is this by design? Why do you think that?
4. Why does Baldabiou share the secrets of silk? What does this say about Baldabiou?
5. How does the author describe the character of the Mayor? How is the telling of his story told in a circular fashion?
6. Do you think Joncour's feminine attributes played into his father's decision that Joncour should pursue a life in the military? What does this say about the character of Joncour's father? What does this say about Joncour?
7. How does Joncour observe life? Why is this significant?
8. 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?
9. 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?
10. On his second trip to Japan, Joncour sits at the lake with Hara Kei and they are described as "Holding their peace." What do you think the author means by this? Where else have you heard this expression? Do you think there is a connection between a reference to a wedding and a mistress?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
The character of Baldabiou is very curious, as he lives on the edge of normal life all the time. Describe some of the oddities of Baldabiou and attempt to round out his character by describing where you think he came from and, mostly, where you think he is going at the end of the novel.
Essay Topic 2
Joncour is a hero to his town, giving nearly all the town a way to make a living, and yet, he blindly pursues the mistress, knowing full well that he could lose everything for his town. Why does Joncour, in chapter after chapter, move toward his own destruction with little or no reservation to the damage he will do to his town or his wife? How can this man be so blind?
Essay Topic 3
Why does the author use the historical character of Louis Pasteur? What does this add to the novel? What about other historical notations? Does this help or hurt the novel in your opinion?
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This section contains 1,208 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) |
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