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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. Why did the train stop outside Nagoya?

2. What happened to the French-built Trans-Vietnam Railway six years after it was completed in the 1930s?

3. How did celebrants mark the banned festival?

4. How many deserters did Dial estimate remained in Vietnam?

5. What did the security officer note Theroux did not have when he claimed to be a tourist?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why did Theroux refer to Laos as "America's expensive practical joke"?

3. Why did Theroux leave behind his passport and camera while trying to go to the Goktiek Viaduct?

4. Describe the Kali religious festival from Chapter 16.

5. Describe Theroux's visit to the tourism office in Vietnam.

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

7. What are the differences between Japanese and American consumers?

8. Why did Theroux say that the Malay smile was misleading?

9. How did Theroux feel about the fast trains between cities in Japan?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the closing pages, Theroux reflected on how the book could have been different if he had written it as a novel instead of a travel piece. Did he focus too much on what his eyes saw or did he discuss what his imagination knew? Would the book have worked better as fiction? Would it have been necessary for Theroux to invent characters and situations in order to help the narrative flow? Did he make the right choice in writing a travelogue?

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

In Japan, Theroux found the Japanese had some robotic qualities (automatically waiting in lines everywhere, doing group calisthenics at the office, etc.). Did that seem like a fair portrayal? What do you think caused the Japanese to behave in this manner? Do you think they had always been like that or had their history played a role in shaping their modern-day attitudes?

(see the answer keys)

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