Table of Contents

2nd PUC Japan And Brazil Through Traveller’s Eye Question And Answer

One Mark Questions

What is Travel writing?

Ans: Travel writing is about writing one’s experiences of travelling and visiting alien places.

How did the travellers to Greece record their experiences as a genre of writing?

Ans: In the form of a diary.

When was the invention of new techniques of navigation and sea voyages take place

Ans: During the 9th and 10th centuries.

When did travel writing become popular?

Ans: When more number of people began to explore new places on the globe.

What started getting royal patronage and support?

Ans: Exploring new places.

Travel writing is not just a description of a new place born out of curiosity, it also gained __________

Ans: b. political overtones.

What has this earth on modern media like TV and Internet?

Ans: Immense viewership.

When has the travel writing come under serious scholarly study?

Ans: In the past 50 years.

Where has the travel writing become a part of cultural studies programme?

Ans: In many universities.

How is Travel writing viewed as?

Ans: Telling comments on how a culture gets represented by another and upholding some superior and universal cultural values.

What is Japanese mania?

What is the mania in Japan according to Mikes?

Ans: Bowing

Exquisitely well-mannered people’ refers to…

Ans: Japanese.

What is a man’s castle in Japan?

What is called as man’s castle in Japan according to Mikes?

What does Mikes call, ‘A man’s castle’, in Japan?

Ans: A man’ s telephone receiver.

What is the one common thing that you notice when step into Japan?

As Mikes says, after a few hours in Japan, one starts

(a) thanking

(b) bowing

(c) kissing

Ans: (b) Bowing

What seems infectious in Japan?

Ans: Bowing in formal, more oriental manner

How does everybody keep bowing to everybody else with?

Ans: With the ceremonious solemnity of a courtier / with a great deal of natural and inimitable grace

Who do the Japanese stores employ?

Whom do the Japanese stores employ to welcome customers in Japan?

The Japanese stored employ_________ to greet customers.

(a) singing girls

(b) dancing girls

(c) bowing girls

Ans: c) Bowing girls.

Bowing girls are compared to…

George Mikes compares the act of two Japaese bowing to

(a) Page boys turning revolving doors

b) an early American Traffic law

(c) Tokaido line that connects Tokyo and Osaka

According to Mikes, bowing girls in Japan are equal to

(a) page boys turning revolving doors

(b) maid servants

(c) security guards

Ans: (a) page boys turning revolving doors.

What is special about babies carried in Japanese style on their mothers?

Ans: Whenever mothers bow, babies bowed too.

20.. What did the writer notice in deer, in deer park?

Ans: It too bowed before it snatches the food from the writer.

What is a sign of appreciation while eating soup:

What is the sign of appreciation in eating soup?

What according to George Mikes is a sign of appreciation when eating soup in Japan?

What must one do while eating soup in Japan according to Mikes?

Ans: Make a fearful noise/ sound

What will the hostess think if a fearful noise is not made when eating soup

Ans: ‘That he is an ill-mannered lout’.

What will the hostess think if a fearful noise is made when eating soup?

Ans: Not reasonably well brought up European makes such disgusting noise. He must be an ill-mannered lout.

What does not really matter in Brazil?

Ans: Whether you reach your destination an hour soon, a day late, or not at all/ arriving at the destination.

What is a matter of grave importance for characters who get a steering wheel in their hands?

Ans: Gaining a tenth of a second.

How are streets of Copacabana decorated in Brazil with?

The pavements in the streets of Copacabana in Brazil are often decorated with

(a) Pink granit slabs

(b) grey cobble stones

(c) beautiful black mosaics.

Ans: (c) With beautiful black mosaics.

_ 27.________are extremely expensive in Brazil.

Motor Cars
black mosaics
tickets

Ans: 1.Motor Cars

Why are motor cars expensive in Brazil?

Ans: Because import duties are crippling and murderous.

29.What happens when leisurely people in Brazil get a steering wheel in their hands?

Ans: They drive their vehicles very fast.

Who looks-out for pedestrians in Brazil?

Ans: Drivers

4 Marks Questions

1.Write a note on Travel writing.

Ans: Travel writing is about writing one’s experiences of travelling and visiting alien places. The travellers to Greece recorded their experiences in the form of a diary as a genre of writing. The invention of new techniques of navigation and sea voyagers was during the 9th and 10h centuries. Travel writing became more popular when more number of people began to explore new places on the globe. To explore to new places started getting royal patronage and support. New adventures and voyages were commissioned. Travel writing is not just a description of a new place born out of curiosity, it also gained political Overtones. This earth has the immense viewership on modern media. The travel writing has come under serious scholarly study in the past 50 years. It has become a part of cultural studies programme inmany universities. Travel writing is viewed as telling comments on how a culture gets represented byanother upholding cultural values.

2.A man’s telephone receiver is his castle. Explain this with reference to Japanese manners. Ans: Japanese are exquisitely well-mannered people. The people living in over-crowded island do not respect any privacy. Honesty has a double function: it is courtesy and it is substitute privacy. For example, the little telephone is situated on a table or on a counter as there is no space to spare for booths. Still most confidential business transactions, intimate love quarrels are conducted in public yet in perfect privacy. Anybody, any passerby could not listen-in. A man’s telephone receiver is his castle.

3.According to George Mikes, the people of Brazil are both leisurely and speed-loving. Explain.

Why does George Mikes say that nobody hurries in Brazil? What instances does he give to

illustrate this?

George Mikes brings out the contrast between leisurely characters and dangerous drivers in Brazil. Explain.

Ans: George Mikes says that nobody hurries in Brazil. It does not really matter whether one reaches his destination an hour early, a day late, or not at all. The grey pavements in the street are often decorated with beautiful black mosaics-a unique type of decoration. The people who have plenty of time could do so. These leisurely people, when they get a steering wheel in their hands no speed is fast enough for them. They love speed to such an extent. Gaining a tenth of a second is a matter of grave importance for all of them all the time. As soon as a driver notices a pedestrian step off the pavement, he regards him as fair game-hunter and prey. They smile amicably at each other. The war between drivers themselves is murderous but good tempered. They cut in, they overtake on both sides, commit all the most heinous crimes of the road twenty times every hour. But they smile, there is no anger, hostility, no mad hooting.

4.How does George Mikes describe bowing to be a quainter and infectious trait of Japanese

people?

What are the views of George Mikes about Japanese “manners of bowing’

The Japanese followed a complicated hierarchy in bowing. How is this presented Dy ikes.

How does Mikes portray a view of Japanese culture through their act of bOWing

Give an account of the complicated way of bowing in Japan.

‘Bowing in Japan is quainter, formal and oriental’, Why does George Mikes say so?

Ans: In Japan bowing mania strikes travellers. Everybody keeps bowing to everybody else with a natural and inimitable grace and solemnity of a courtier. Bowing is quainter, formal, oriental and also infectious. It is neither less nor more silly than shaking hands or kissing the cheek. The Japanese have a complicated hierarchy in bowing: who bows to whom, how deeply and for how long. Early traffic law in one of the American states was that if two cars met at an intersection, neither was to move before the other had gone. Similarly, if two Japanese bow, neither is to straighten up before the other stands erect in front of him. It is a little complicated to us; but they manage it without difficulty. Even the smallest difference in rank, standing, age, social position will be subtly reflected in bowing style. Bowing depends on status The wife bows to her husband, the child bows to his father, younger brothers to elder brothers, and all sister bows to all brothers of whatever age. Japanese stores employ bowing girls whose only duty is to bow deeply and deferentially to all. In Japan one can find people bowing to each other with ceremonious serenity at bus stops. Thus bowing is their part of culture.

5.How according to George Mikes do the bowing gentlemen change into savages in Japan?

‘The bowing gentlemen are transformed into savagesi Brazil through a traveller’s eye’.

Ans: Bowing is mania in Japan. Bowing is more formal more oriental and it is also infectious. The rules and regulations regarding bowing are complex. At the bus stopP people bow to each other with ceremonious serenity. As soon as the bus arrives, the boWing gentlemen are transformed into savages, they push each other aside, tread on each other s toes and shove their elbows into each other’s stomachs.This is how the bowing gentlemen change into savages in Japan.

6.Bring out the culture of the Japanese as explained by George Mikes.

A natural behaviour looks peculiar when Seen from an outsider’s eyes. How does Mikes prove this with respect to Japanese bowing?

Ans: George Mikes explained that the culture of the Japanese as universal and superior to the others. Japanese are exquisitely well-mannered people. The respect and believe in perfect privacy. Courtesy has a double function namely it is courtesy and substitute privacy. Everybody keeps bowing to everybody else with the ceremonious solemnity. Bowing is a mark of respect, Japanese have complicated hierarchy in bowing, and social position will be subtly reflected in split second. Japanese stores employ bowing whose only duty is to bow deeply and deferentially to all. The deer as a true Japanese bow to the visitors and then jump and snatch the food bag from hand. The two conductors in the famous and fast Tokaido line between Tokyo and Osaka March to the middle of the coach and how ceremoniously in both directions and then start checking the tickets. They make a fearful noise a sign of appreciation while eating soup.

7.The traffic in Brazil leads to humorous observations. Explain.

Give an account of the crawling traffic in Brazil as mentioned by George Mikes.

Describe the situation one witnesses while trying to cross the road in Brazil as mentioned by GeorgeMikes.

Ans: George Mikes says that nobody hurries in Brazil. Reaching the destination an hour early, day late or not at all does not matter. The grey pavements in the streets are decorated with beautiful black mosaics. People who have plenty of time could do so during their meditative, ambulatory exercises. These leisure people love speed when driving. Gaining a tenth of a second is matter of grave importance for all of them all the time. The number of motor vehicles in Brazil is growing rapidly and thus the pedestrian’s life is becoming risky; he has to jump, leap and run for dear life. Driver and pedestrian vice versa smile at each other. The drivers cut in and overtake on both sides and commit crime twenty times every hour but still there is no anger, no hostility, nothing except they smile. The truly fascinating problem is the mystery of crossing on crawling traffic proceed in at a terrifying speed.

8.How does George Mikes bring out the humour in the Japanese mannerism of bowing?

Bowing’ in Japan is a complicated process. Explain with reference to the text.

Give an account of the Japanese mania for bowing as described by George Mikes.

Bowing in Japan is so infectious that it leads to a few comic situations. How does Mikes bring thisout?

Ans: In Japan bowing mania strikes travelers . Everybody keeps bowing to everybody else. They bow with inimitable grace and bowing is attractive and unusual, more formal and more oriental and also Infectious . Japanese have a complicated hierarchy in bowing. There was an early traffic law in one of the American states that if two cars met at an intersection, neither was to move before the other had gone. Similarly, if two Japanese bow neither are to straighten up before the other stands erect. One can find a clear-cut difference in position while bowing. It depends on rank, age and social position. Of course they reflected in bowing as one man’s bow is shorter than the others. The basic rules inside the family is that the wife bows to her husband, the child bows to his father, younger brothers bow to elders, the sisters bows to all brothers of whatever age. In Japan one can find people bowing to each other with ceremonious serenity at bus stops.

9.What makes Mikes feel that the drivers in Brazil are on look out for pedestrians?

Explain how drivers in Brazil care about pedestrians as mentioned by George Mikes.

Elaborate on the plight of a pedestrian in Brazil.

Ans: The drivers do not care about pedestrians. They are on look out for them. As soon as a driver notices a pedestrian step off the pavement, he regards him as fair game: he takes aim and accelerates. The pedestrian has to jump, leap and ran for dear life. Neither the pedestrian nor the driver resent this in the least. The hunter and the prey smile amicably at each other. If the driver wins once, the pedestrian gets the chance to win next. They take it sportively. The war between drivers themselves is murderous but good tempered. There is no anger, no hostility, no mad hooting and the like even when there is a cut in, Overtaking, and commit all the most heinous crimes of the road & crossing the road twenty times every hour. The traffic is so terrific that the pedestrians feel that it is their second birth. It is becoming common everywhere.

10.People respect each other’s privacy’. Explain with reference to Japan in Mikes Travel Writing. OR

Explain how the people of Japan respect each other’s privacy according to George Mikes.

Ans: One can find an exquisitely well-mannered people in Japan. People living in an overcrowded island have to respect one another’s privacy. They would have to respect if they had any privacy but they don’t have it. So courtesy has a double function – it is courtesy and it is substitute privacy. For example the telephone instrument is situated on a table or on a counter in the streets, shops, halls of hotels as the Japanese have no space to spare for booths. Sill one conducts his most confidential business transactions, his intimate love quarrels in public yet in perfect privacy. Nobody could listen in. A man’s telephone receiver is his castle.

11.Why is a pedestrian’s life hazardous in Brazil according to George Mikes.

Ans: In Brazil motor cars are very expensive due to exorbitant import duties. Only a few poorer South American states are in a worse position in this respect. A universal complaint is that no one can afford a car Still the number of motor vehicles is growing by rapid stages, as if cars were distributed free of charge to all collectively and individually. Thus the pedestrians life is a hazardous everyday.

12.People display contrasting patterns of behaviour. Substantiate in the light of ‘Japan and Brazil Thro’ A traveler’s Eye’.

Ans: In Japan, everybody keeps bowing to everybody else. Bowing is attractive and unusual, more format, more oriental and also infectious. They have a complicated hierarchy of bowing: two Japanese bow, neither is to straighten up before the other stands erect in front of him. Bowing depends on rank, age and position. The basic rules in the family is that the wife bows to her husband, the child bows to his father, younger brothers bow to elders, the sister bows to all brothers of whatever age. In Japan one can find people bowing to each other with ceremonious serenity at bus stops and the bowing gentlemen are transformed into savages. Making a fearful noise while eating soups is a sign of appreciation. In Brazil nobody hurries. ‘The grey pavements in the streets are rated with beautiful black mosaics. Leisurely people love speed when driving The drivers do not care about pedestrians whose life is risky and he has to jump, leap and run for dear life. The driver regards pedestrian as fair game. The traffic is so terrific that the pedestrians feel it is their second birth while crossing.