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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 much did it cost to go to the Japanese bath?

2. How many hotels did Mandalay have?

3. What term described the total work stoppage organized by the Socialist Unity Centre in Chapter 16?

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

5. What were the Thai children doing near the railroad tracks near Nong Khai Station?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Mr. Lau dislike Kuala Lumpur?

2. How did the family planning experts react to Theroux's questioning about the sizes of their own families?

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

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

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

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

7. Who were the American-looking children Theroux saw throughout Vietnam?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Theroux visited what were declared to be the tombs of Cain and Abel while traveling through Ceylon. The country was in dire straits when Theroux traveled through and continued to have significant problems. What was the significance of the location of the alleged tombs of Cain and Abel? Does the fact that the "first murderer" was buried in Ceylon say anything about the country's likely fate? Do you think that the Ceylonese (who showed signs of religious devotion) viewed the tombs as somehow significant in terms of their condition? Did the decrepit condition of the tombs indicate a desire to suppress the tradition that this was the burial place of Cain and Abel?

Essay Topic 2

In his travels through Japan, Theroux found the Japanese had a fondness for violent pornography and attributed this to the fact that the Japanese were overworked and too tried to think about actually having sex. Do you think this is an accurate assumption? What historical experiences or social traditions could encourage an acceptance of violent pornography? Does this attraction provide any deep insight into the Japanese character? Unlike in some of the traditional societies visited by Theroux, Japan seemed open to the idea of women working. Did the obsession with pornography say anything about relations between men and women in Japan?

Essay Topic 3

Many of the religious processions and festivals observed by Theroux appeared to be much more colorful, exuberant, bloody (in some cases), and well-attended than religious activities in Western countries. Do you think people in poorer parts of the world pay closer attention to religion? On the flip side, do cultures tend to drift away from religious ritual as they become more prosperous? Is the change inevitable? Did the profound dedication to religious faith in poor countries that Theroux witnessed offer any important insights into those cultures?

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