Japan and Brazil Through A Traveler's Eye Questions & Answers

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Comprehension I

1. ‘Exquisitely well-mannered people’ refers to

Ans: b. Japanese

2. What behaviour substitutes privacy in Japan?

Ans: Courtesy

3. The reference to public telephone suggests:

Ans: a. How overcrowded Japan is.

4. Hierarchy in bowing demands

 a. youngsters bow to their elders.

        b. wife bows to her husband

        c. sisters bow to their brothers

Ans: All the above

5. What does one show as a sign of appreciation while eating soup?

Ans: One makes fearful noise while eating soup.

Comprehension II

Common Introduction

George Mikes is an artist, author, publisher, illustrator and journalist from Hungary. ‘Japan and Brazil

Through A Traveler’s Eye’ are excerpts chosen from his ‘The Rising of the Yen’ and ‘How To Tango’.

1.       Why is bowing in Japan a complicated process?

OR

Why does bowing, a natural practice in Japanese culture, look so ‘quaint’ and puzzling to the author?

Ans: The present world we live in is a global village, thanks to advancements in science and technology. People want to travel places and experience different cultures like never before. Certain practices and customs of a country are peculiar to it and to an outsider from different cultural backgrounds they look strange and often complicated. We see similar instances in “Japan and Brazil through a Traveler’s Eye’. George Mikes on his visit to Japan finds bowing quainter and more formal.  But, for the Japanese bowing is a natural practice in their culture. He says that it is so infectious that after a few hours we also start bowing ourselves. To the author it all looks puzzling; if one bows to the wrong man at the wrong time etc., He further adds that Japanese have a complicated hierarchy in bowing: who bows to whom, how deeply and for how long. It is hard to understand when two Japanese meet, they bow, neither is to straighten up before the other stands erect in front of him. They manage it in a split second without difficulty. Even the smallest difference in rank, standing age, social position is reflected subtly in that split second. Mikes says that there are clear-cut differences in position and basic rules in the family. The wife bows to her husband, the child bows to his father, younger brothers to elders and the sister bows to all brothers.  Thus, bowing in Japan is a natural process while it is quaint and puzzling to the author

2. Do you think the author is finding fault with / making fun of the culture of bowing in Japanese and speeding cars in Brazil?

Ans: No, the author is not finding fault nor is he making fun of any culture. He rather presents his experience in a humorous style. As an outsider from Europe when he descends on Japan, the Japanese complicated manners and ways of greeting puzzle him. On observing closely he remarks, “Bowing is neither less nor more silly than shaking hands or kissing the cheek, but it is quainter, more formal more oriental; it is also infectious.” The writer is astonished to see the Japanese following a hierarchy   in bowing perfectly; the young to the elderly and women to men. Even a deer seemed to bow to the author at a park. Ironically enough, the writer also expresses his disbelief when he notices the bowing gentlemen transform into savages as soon as the bus arrives. Thus, the author gives us the real picture of some practices peculiar to a culture. Writing about the Brazilians’ craze for cars and speed he says that motor cars are extremely expensive in Brazil, but the number of cars is growing enormously. The driver takes pedestrians as fair game while he jumps, leaps and runs for dear life. The author finds the war between the driver and the pedestrian amiable. The author finds all these strange but humorous.

Comprehension III

1.  Bowing in Japan is quainter; more formal, more oriental.’ Do you agree?

OR

  What aspects of our social life, do you think, would appear quaint and odd to a foreign tourist?

Ans: Travelling is a wonderful activity that takes one places unseen and unknown. There are many things that excite, surprise, shock and amuse the traveler. One discovers new people, strange languages, rich culture, unique life styles, and varieties of food and fashion. For George Mikes, a European visitor, two countries offer different experiences. It is quite natural for a traveler from the west to the east and one from the east to the west to experience things that are often quainter and puzzling. When the author visits Japan, bowing seems to be very ceremonious, more oriental and infectious, though quainter to him. He says, “Japanese have a complicated hierarchy in bowing. Though a little complicated to an outsider, they manage it without difficulty.” There are basic rules inside the family: the wife bows to her husband, the child bows to his father, younger brother to elder brothers and the sister bows to all brothers. The author finds it strange when a baby in the saddle bows imitating its mother.

The writer notices the bowing gentlemen turning savages as soon as a bus arrives. His experience in Japan and observations of car-crazy Brazil offer us different glimpses of a highly civil social order crumbling against the need of the moment. Besides, a sea of motor cars in Brazil targeting the pedestrians gives us a sense of life we live in modern societies.

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