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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. How many people had been killed since the cease-fire (as of December 1973)?

2. What happened when Theroux saw the drunk Japanese men in the bar in Osaka?

3. How much time did Theroux have to board the train to Sapporo in Aomori?

4. What did Theroux buy at the Naung-Peng station while waiting for the next train?

5. What was the surname of the local USIS official in Hue?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Theroux find disturbing about Osaka?

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

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

4. Why did Theroux describe the Burmese government as a Buddhist bureaucracy?

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

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

7. Describe the Kali religious festival from Chapter 16.

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Theroux encountered phenomenal levels of censorship in Singapore. How did the strong central government control of people's lives affect their personalities? Do you think the control caused the Singaporeans to be rude and aggressive, as Theroux found them to be? Or did their traditional behavior simply make it easier for the government to control them? Theroux wrote that freedom would be threatened by the Singaporean focus on connecting everyone electronically. How do you think Theroux would view the Internet? Has his concern about reduced freedoms come true or have people been able to avoid government control despite the impact of computers?

Essay Topic 3

In his travels through India, Theroux seemed to be convinced India was doomed to failure in the long run unless the population was brought under control. He had also described in disbelieving terms the family planning officials who themselves had large families. Do you believe Theroux was accurate in his claims? How would reining in population figures help a nation develop economically? Is there a point at which nations cannot cope with a large population or can nations figure out a way to successfully spread wealth despite large numbers?

(see the answer keys)

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