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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. Chang states in "Six Weeks of Terror" that one of the Japanese military leaders is known as "the masked shogun" because information about this person is scarce. To which leader does she refer?

2. In the Foreword, what is the date given for the fall of Nanking?

3. In 1938, Foreign Minister Hirota Koki sends a message indicating that, a month after the massacre, the Japanese believe the Nanking death total to be what number?

4. What is the geographical area mentioned as the main site of the Japanese/Chinese conflict at the time Nanking fell?

5. In his book, Lieutenant Colonel Hashimoto Kingoro wrote that Japan could escape the pressures of surplus population in all BUT WHICH of the following ways?

Short Essay Questions

1. According to Chang at the end of "The Nanking Safety Zone," what is chilling about the number of refugees in the Nanking Safety Zone?

2. As the Japanese army begins mass executions in Nanking, what becomes their most pressing problem, and how do they resolve it?

3. Describe the broad time line and details of the Rape of Nanking as outlined in the Introduction.

4. Describe the preparations the Chinese government ordered the citizens to undertake in order to prepare for possible invasions after the fall of Shanghai.

5. What factors contribute to the end of Japan's golden era of prosperity, as discussed in "The Path to Nanking"?

6. According to Kirby, what haunts Chinese-Japanese relations today, and why?

7. At what point does the author state that she became aware of the Rape of Nanking, and what caused her to doubt the accuracy of the information with which she had been presented?

8. Briefly explain the twentieth-century Japanese cultural identity, as detailed in "The Path to Nanking."

9. Describe how Tang Shunsan was able to survive his encounter with Japanese soldiers.

10. What reasons does Chang give in the Introduction as to why the Rape of Nanking is not as well known as the Holocaust or other tragic events?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Given Matsui's absence during most of the atrocities during the first several weeks of the occupation, historians have long been puzzled by his willingness to take complete blame for the Rape of Nanking. Discuss three possible reasons for Matsui's behavior. Include historical research and supporting material from the text.

Essay Topic 2

Describe and analyze the Japanese samurai code. What are the basic principles of this code? How did the code make its way into normal society from the initial applications of samurai life? In what way does the code prepare the Japanese for war?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the social and economic factors that enabled Japan to begin feeling as though it were the victim of an international conspiracy in the years prior to Japan's attempt to conquer China. How are the factors interlinked? Was there something to Japan's feeling that it was being picked on by the international community, or were they looking for an excuse to be upset with the rest of the world? Was the international community being fair or unfair toward Japan?

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