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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 author was Theroux reading at the end of Chapter 11?

2. What term did the civil servant use to describe a holy man in Chapter 9?

3. Why was the cockney man going to Australia?

4. On what Victoria station platform did Theroux depart on his trip?

5. What were the American travelers discussing on the train in Chapter 8?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why were the Ceylonese showing so much devotion to St. Jude?

2. Why was Mr. Radia, with whom Theroux spoke in Chapter 10, so cynical about the English?

3. Describe the American hippies encountered by Theroux on the Turkish railway.

4. Why was Theroux fascinated by the taxi driver's offer of a prostitute in the Bay of Bengal?

5. Why was Theroux unwilling to explain his first impressions of India to Vishnua Bhardwaj, the Accountant General on the train to Simla?

6. Describe the special requirements and characteristics of the Sikh religion outlined by Theroux in Chapter 8.

7. What were Theroux's impressions of the Pakistani city of Peshawar?

8. What is the primary lesson about India's future that Theroux took from his nighttime wanderings around Bombay?

9. How had Afghanistan changed since the military coup of 1973?

10. Describe the Tamils as encountered by Theroux in Chapter 12.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The hippies seen on the trains throughout Turkey kept to themselves for the most part, not interacting with the Turkish people on board. Did Theroux think they were not experiencing authentic culture? How were Theroux's experiences in Turkey richer than those of the hippies? Do you think Theroux would have met the people he met in Turkey if he had stayed in cars with mostly Americans? Do you think the hippies were having a rich experience in Asia? How do you think Theroux felt about their apparent attitude toward the locals?

Essay Topic 2

In contrast to his discussions with the Bangladeshi family planning experts, Theroux discovered that in the Soviet Union, efforts were underway to increase the population due to a declining birth rate. Many European nations today are experiencing declining birth rates, while poorer countries in Asia and Africa are expanding rapidly. How do nations determine what is an appropriate or manageable population? Is it possible to control how individuals plan their families? Why do poor nations have such high birth rates while nations that can better afford to feed and house their populations have low birth rates? Which comes first--poverty or high birth rates?

Essay Topic 3

Theroux described a sense of violence and tribal lawlessness in Afghanistan in the 1970s. In what way did the tribal differences inhibit the development of a peaceful society? Referring to the time Theroux visited Afghanistan, did it appear that outsiders (e.g., the Soviets and the Pakistanis) were manipulating the tribal differences to sow discord? Why was the nation facing a possible war with Pakistan? Was Theroux risking too much by traveling through the country?

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