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

2. On the fourth trip to Japan, how does Joncour finally get silk eggs?

3. What is the boy playing who accompanies Joncour to find Hara Kei on the fourth trip to Japan?

4. What does Joncour hear when the procession with the mistress goes by him?

5. When Joncour arrives in the village of Hara Kei on the fourth trip, what, in his mind, does he see?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

2. Why does Joncour take Baldabiou to the house of Jean Berbeck that he buys? What is he looking for? Why does he think that Baldabiou will understand?

3. On the fourth trip to Japan, describe the young boy that Joncour follows? What is he playing? Why would he play music as they wander through the villages?

4. Why does Joncour fire his gun on the way out of town and startle the birds? What is he saying, and to whom? Who will get his message?

5. What does Joncour hear as Hara Kei hold the gun to his head? Describe the sounds of what is happening around him.

6. The letter describes a sexual encounter but eludes to fact that it has already happened? What does this mean?

7. When Joncour arrives home nine days late, what does he ask of his wife? Why does he ask her this?

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

9. 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?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Which of the characters have attributes? What is something that would connect to each character? For example, ash for Hara Kei. Try to come up with an attribute for each character in the novel. Explain you answer.

Essay Topic 2

Joncour, at the end of his life, is left with symbols of the past. What are the symbols in the novel, and how many does Joncour hold on to as he grows old? Was Joncour ever able to identify the symbols when he needed to? Is he later able to look back and see his errors in translating the symbols?

Essay Topic 3

In the author's description of the trip from France to Japan, he describes it exactly the same except for the description of Lake Baikal. Each time Joncour travels past the lake, the locals are calling the lake by a different name. Why is this significant? What does this symbolize? Why would this be the only point where the author deviates from his description?

(see the answer keys)

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