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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 was bunraku?

2. What service was common for tourists in Bangkok?

3. What was the code name of Theroux's American host in Saigon?

4. What local delicacy did Theroux find for sale to passengers at the stations in Burma?

5. What were workers in Singapore forbidden from doing?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Westerners and Japanese react to the suicide of the Japanese writer, Yukio Mishima?

2. What was Theroux's reaction to the sight of the Goktiek Viaduct?

3. What image was brought to mind by the sight of the Japanese workers doing mass calisthenics?

4. How did Mr. Bernard treat Theroux at his mansion in maymyo?

5. How did Theroux describe the clothes laundering he witnessed from the trains in Asia?

6. Why did Theroux describe Bangkok as a city for transients?

7. How did Colonel Tuan believe Vietnamese viewed Americans as the war wound down?

8. Describe the Japanese obsession with the high cost of living in Japan.

9. How was Theroux treated at the hotel in Mandalay?

10. Why were the Vietnamese focused on providing foreign visitors with privileges?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Theroux opened the book with a description of his childhood love of trains. What was it about trains, as opposed to other forms of transportation, that fascinated him so much? Why did he choose to travel by train through Asia? Would he have had the same rich experiences he had by train if he had instead flown from city to city in Asia? Would he have met the same people and had the same fascinating conversations?

Essay Topic 2

While in India, Theroux noticed the strict seating divisions on board the trains reflected the stringent caste divisions in Indian society. Research the caste system and write an essay outlining the different divisions and the rights, perks, and job opportunities provided by each. In addition, discuss how the caste system affected Theroux's experience of Indian railway travel. Would it have been different if the caste system had not existed?

Essay Topic 3

In Vietnam, Theroux wrote that his impression of American involvement had been doomed because we had no intention of staying. Therefore, we never developed a vision of what kind of nation we would leave behind, and the Vietnamese emerged damaged and abandoned. Do you believe the U.S. could have achieved its objectives had we remained in the country for a longer period of time? What responsibility did Theroux suggest a nation had to stay and rebuild another nation after involving itself in a military mission?

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