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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 religion was the ship's second mate who disliked Indians and Ceylonese?

2. Why was Theroux disappointed when the train arrived at Lake Van in Chapter 3?

3. In what year did Twain travel to India?

4. What baseball player was the focus of articles in the English-language paper in Teheran?

5. How did Yashar describe his political leanings in Chapter 2?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was Molesworth's attitude toward tourism?

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

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

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

5. What were Theroux's impressions of the alleged tombs of Cain and Abel?

6. What was Theroux's reaction to the German drug addict he met in India in Chapter 8?

7. Why did Duffill appear to be so mysterious to Theroux?

8. Why did Paramahansa Yogananda, the guru followed by Mr. Gupta in Chapter 9, go to America?

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

10. In Theroux's view, how did the strictures of Islam affect Pakistani men?

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

An Indian man on board the train with Theroux in Lahore told the author he was fleeing racism in London. One of the things he complained about was being stared at. In response, Theroux pointed out he was stared at in Asia. While the language the Indian faced in London was obviously racist, did the staring fall into the same category? Why did the man seem unable to recognize the implications of being kicked out of first class? How did Theroux react to the stares he received and did he seem to view them as racist? Were either one (the Indian or Theroux) being naive?

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?

(see the answer keys)

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