THE NON-WESTERN WORLD STUDY QUESTIONS.
THE NON-WESTERN WORLD STUDY QUESTIONS.
This assignment is designed to allow you to apply concepts and themes from this course to ongoing current events in the Asian section of the Non-Western World. Choose one country or region from this region (South Asia, SE Asia, and East Asia) and keep a journal of current events for the duration of the course. Your journal should include a chronological record of major political, cultural, environmental, and development events that occur in your chosen area. For each event provide a brief description, an analysis of its significance, and some personal thoughts/observations. Apply concepts, themes, and information learned from your course readings in your analysis of events.
There are a variety of sources from which you can obtain monitor current events in your chosen area. The UWP library subscribes to a variety of Non-Western newspapers. Texts of Non-Western newspapers can also be found on the internet along with reports from the major wire services. Newspapers such as: The Christian Science Monitor, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Washington Post are also useful sources of information. You may have to use a variety of sources in order to gain comprehensive coverage of your area. Abbreviated versions of these newspapers can be found on line as well as CNN and other news services.
Your paper should cover events from the time you receive these course materials through the last day of classes. Journals should be handed in at the final exam.
1. Global political geography has recently entered a new phase in which the fundamental source of conflict is:
a. economics
b. culture
c. ideology
d. politics
2. ____ percent of American agricultural exports are sent to the Non-Western World.
a. Less than 10
b. 25
c. 50
d. 70
3. Goethe's famous play Faust was greatly influenced by:
a. Gandhi
b. Confucious
c. Kalidasa
d. Mohammed
4. Martin Luther King Jr. drew much inspiration from which famous Non-Western figure?
a. Gandhi
b. Confucious
c. Genghis Khan
d. Omar Khyyam
5. The first important body of Arabic prose and the written foundation of Islam is:
a. Arabian Nights
b. Koran
c. Gita
d. Vedic Hymns
6. Which group has NOT prospered in post-Independence Sub-Saharan Africa?
a. professional politicians
b. army officers
c. unscrupulous businessmen
d. native craftsmen
7. Which are problems impacting development in Asia?
a. corruption
b. high populations
c. shortage of labor and skills
d. environmental degradation
e. all of the above
8. Malnutrition among poor Non-Western children is due to:
a. poverty
b. shortage of world food production
c. failure of the "Green Revolution" in
Asia
d. lack of concern because populations are too big
already
9. According to new IMF figures the world's 3rd biggest economy is:
a. Japan's
b. Germany's
c. China's
d. India's
10. One of the best ways to help reduce birth rates is to:
a. distribute free modern contraceptives
b. forced sterilization
c. cutting welfare in developing countries
d. increasing female literacy
11. ______________ are the foundations of Indian culture and the ultimate source of Hindu religion and culture.
12. _____________ is an important Indian folk epic and the longest poem in the world.
13. _____________, ______________, _______________, and ___________ were advanced Non-Western Civilizations which predated the Greeks.
14. The works of _____________ reflect the transcendentalism of the Sufis and are among the most quoted poems in the Middle East.
15. _________________ is defined as the "application of findings of science and technology to the problems of life and society.
Define "culture".
Name the four major variants of Non-Western culture.
List the 4 elements that have contributed to the persistent stability of Chinese culture.
What is the Gita? Why is it significant?
Define "development"?
List the "7 Sins of Development in the Non-Western World".
What are the 3 main differences between the economic policies of Asia/Pacific and Sub-Saharan Africa?
What is the "Post-Industrial Revolution"?
Describe the major differences between Western and Non-Western cultures and the history of large-scale interaction between the them. Explain how this interaction has impacted the Non-Western World.
1. Which region has the highest percentage of its population living below the poverty line?
a. China and Southeast Asia
b. Sub-Saharan Africa
c. Indian Subcontinent
d. Middle East
2. The ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka is between?
a. Buddhist Tamils and Sinhalese Hindus
b. Islamic Fundamentalists and Hindu Conservatives
c. Buddhists Sinhalese and Hindu Tamils
d. Muslim Tamils and Buddhist Sri Lankans
3. _____ of the world's total arms spending is accounted for by Asia.
a. 35%
b. 80%
c. 25%
d. 10%
4. Which is NOT a major point of tension in Asia.
a. Taiwan - Thailand dispute
b. Korean peninsula
c. China vs Taiwan
d. Japan and Russia Northern Territories dispute
5. Of the world's urban population _______ live in the Non-West.
a. 1.2 billion
b. 2.6 billion
c. 4 billion
d. under 1 billion
6. ______________ predict that surging population growth will ultimately lead to general disaster.
7. A ___________household is one in which there are more than one wives.
8. ____________ and ___________ may partially contribute to the flooding of millions of acres of arable land in the Indo-Ganges plain.
9. ____________ is the one Non-Western country that has been able to overcome many environmental problems associated with rapid industrial development.
10. The ethnic conflict in Rwanda is between the _________ and ________.
Chapter 1 - Introduction to the Non-Western World
Define "Ecological Balance".
What are the "six areas of concern in the Non-Western World".
Define and explain "structural adjustment".
What are "Human Rights"?
What might be the "top three critical issues for the Non-Western World" in the 21st century?
Give some reasons why women have often been overlooked in development.
Why are the cities of the Non-Western World growing so rapidly? List some problems associated with massive urbanization.
What are the major obstacles to development in the Non-Western World? In your opinion what can be done to improve the effectiveness of the development process. Include in your analysis: women, environmental degradation, and economic reform.
1. China's GNP is growing at a rate of:
a. 15% per year
b. 9% per year
c. 20% per year
d. 41% per year
2. Which is a Chinese contribution to world culture?
a. gunpowder
b. paper money
c. movable type printing
d. all of the above
3. China has a population of:
a. 1.2 billion
b. 2.5 billion
c. 500 million
d. 1.2 million
4. Chinese civilization began in:
a. the Yangtze river valley
b. the Yellow River valley
c. the Shang River Valley
d. the Tarim Basin
5. The _________ state was the model for China's imperial government from ancient through modern times.
a. Sung
b. Shang
c. Han
d. Qin
6. The People's Republic of China was born in:
a. 1911
b. 1928
c. 1949
d. 1978
7. While China's demand for agricultural production is growing, it's ability to produce food is shrinking due to:
a. conversion of cropland to nonfarm use
b. a decade of drought
c. lack of farmers
d. absence of modern agricultural technology
8. Rural discontent is on the rise in China. Two of the farmers main complaints are:
a. problems with migrant workers and lack of
fertilizer
b. uncashed state IOUs and high local taxes
c. individual land being confiscated for communes
and oppressive communist rule
d. cheap foreign grain imports and inflation
9. Which is not a major area of industrial concentration in China?
a. Shanghai-Nanjing
b. Xinjiang-Minfeng
c. Beijing-Tianjin
d. Anshan-Shenyang
10. One effect of foreign investment and quasi-capitalistic economic policies in China has been:
a. less unemployment
b. loss of lifetime job security
c. more inefficient state enterprises
d. better rights for workers
Define "Culture Hearth".
Who was Confucius? What are the main points of his philosophy?
What was the "Cultural Revolution"?
Who was Deng Xiaoping? Why is he important?
What are TVEs?
Describe the centrifugal forces now threatening China's unity?
Explain the historical significance of the Opium Wars.
Describe the major contrasts in the physical geography of northern, southern and western China.
Describe the major periods of Chinese history and discuss their significance. Pay particular attention to the 'dynastic cycle' and its phases.
1. A major obstacle to long-term economic success for both Chinese and foreign investors is:
a. China's 1.2 billion consumers
b. poor quality of Chinese goods
c. absence of an impartial legal system
d. all of the above
2. In 1989 China produced ______ of the gases contributing to global warming.
a. 9.1%
b. 17.8%
c. 56%
d. 29.2%
3. The chief sources of income in Macao are:
a. tourism and manufacturing
b. opium smuggling and banking
c. fishing and ship building
d. gambling and girls
4. _________ has the world's 19th largest economy.
a. Mongolia
b. Hong Kong
c. Taiwan
d. China
5. The mainstay of Mongolia's economy is:
a. animal herding
b. manufacturing
c. farming
d. tourism
6. _____________ is the exiled political and religious leader of Tibet.
7. The two major economic regions which have emerged in China during the last decade are the ________________ and _______________.
8. __________ is the political and economic center of Taiwan.
9. ______________ is known as the "Father of the Chinese Revolution" and president of the republic established in 1911.
10. Which religion is experiencing a rebirth in Mongolia? ____________.
Compare and contrast the "internal structures" of Beijing and Shanghai.
What are the terms of the transfer of Hong Kong to China from Britain in 1997?
Describe China's human rights record in Tibet.
List the main sources of tension between the Han majority and various ethnic minorities in China.
How has development changed China since Mao's death in 1976? What are the environmental, economic, and cultural impacts associated with rapid industrial development in China?
Describe the phases of the demographic transition in China. What future challenges does China face in regards to population?
1. The Fossa Magna is:
a. the name of the first western (Spanish) ship
to ever reach Japan
b. the holy book of Shinto
c. Japan's largest volcano which erupts about
every 50 years
d. a rift valley extending across Honshu from the
Sea of Japan to the Pacific
2. Japan's highest peak is:
a. Mt. Fuji
b. Fossa Magna
c. Mt. Biwa
d. Akaishi Range
3. During the 7th and 8th centuries Japan was transformed from a clan society to an imperial state. This transformation was based upon:
a. cultural influences from Tang Dynasty China
b. a plague which killed most of Japan's clan
leaders
c. China's conquest of Japan in 710 AD
d. influences of early Christian missionaries
4. In Tokugawa Japan the most important group after the samurai were:
a. merchants
b. Buddhist monks
c. farmers
d. artisans
5. The isolation of the Tokugawa period was broken by the visit of an American naval force in:
a. 1853
b. 1868
c. 1945
d. 1904
6. Which was NOT one of the three groups competing for the leadership of Japan during the 1920's?
a. liberals
b. zaibatsu
c. conservatives
d. military
e. Buddhist nationalists
7. Japan's territorial dispute with Russia is over:
a. Kurile islands
b. Okinawa
c. southern Siberia
d. Hokkaido
8. The weakest link in Japan's political system is:
a. the party system
b. popularity of fascism
c. lack of voter turnout
d. lack of civil rights
9. The original heartland of Japanese civilization is the:
a. Kanto region
b. Kinki region
c. Tokai region
d. Chubu region
10. Which religion is native to Japan:
a. Buddhism
b. Confucianism
c. Shinto
d. Akihito
Explain why Japan is subject to earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis. What are their impacts on Japan?
List and explain the four points of the US government's policy for postwar Japan.
What is the LDP? Explain its significance.
Where does Japan have territorial disputes with China and Russia?
Describe the major landscape regions of Japan and explain how human activity has accentuated regional variation.
1. Japan's government wants Japanese women to have more babies.
a. True
b. False
2. The geographical distribution of population in Japan is related to:
a. Imperial policies from the 8th century
b. regional differences in development
c. higher birthrates in Hokkaido than in the other
main islands
d. all of the above
3. Japan has a population of:
a. 1.25 billion
b. 125 million
c. 500 million
d. 50 million
4. In Japan rural areas are increasing in population while urban areas are decreasing.
a. True
b. False
5. The dominant form of rural settlement in Japan is:
a. villages of clustered houses
b. dispersed farmsteads
c. large dairy farms
d. there is no one dominant settlement form
6. In 1990 service/tertiary industries accounted for ________ of Japan's economic output.
a. 61%
b. 21%
c. 5%
d. 12%
7. The greatest concentration of high tech industries in Japan is located in which area?
a. Osaka
b. Tokyo
c. Kyushu
d. Kyoto
8. South Korea's GNP per capita is:
a. $8,500
b. $23,000
c. $5,000
d. $12,000
9. South Korea's economy is dominated by:
a. family-run rice farms
b. small businesses
c. large companies
d. state owned enterprises
10. North Korea's political system is primarily based upon:
a. Marxism
b. juche
c. Confucianism
d. kimchee
11. ____________ was imported into Japan during the 7th and 8th centuries and brought with it a legal codes and a new government structure.
12. The ___________ are an outcast group descended from people who practiced occupations centered upon death.
13. Urban settlements which originally developed as marketing centers are referred to as ____________.
14. ___________ is the site of massive mercury poisoning caused by a giant chemical company.
15. Japan's principal industrial region is _____________.
Which three factors have influenced the distribution of major rice growing areas in Japan.
Explain the difference between jori, goshi, shinden, and tondenhei settlements.
Name Japan's 5 principal manufacturing regions.
Explain the difference between zaibatsu and keiretsu.
Explain and describe how the demographic transition has worked in Japan?
Explain how the Korean peninsula became divided. Discuss the prospects for reunification.
How has the development of modern industry impacted Japan's environment.
Explain how Japan shifted from a traditional commercial agrarian economy to a modern industrial one during the Meiji Restoration. How has Japan's economy evolved since the Meiji era and what are the problems currently facing Japan's economy?
Laos ___
Thailand ___
Indonesia ___
Myanmar ___
Vietnam ___
What is ASEAN? What countries are members?
What are the two distinct groups countries that have emerged over the last 25 years in Southeast Asia. What distinguishes one group from the other?
What are the 5 main alluvial lowlands of Southeast Asia. Explain their importance.
How has development impacted the city of Chiang Mai?
Explain why Indonesia "remains a land apart" from other Muslim countries.
How is population growth in the Philippines impacting the environment.
Describe China 's relationship with Myanmar. How is this relationship changing Myanmar?
Who are the Khmer Rouge?
Explain the Domino Theory
1. Southeast Asia derives its regional unity from its position as a transition zone between:
a. China and Indonesia
b. Pacific and Indian Oceans
c. India and China
d. China and Japan
2. The only Southeast Asian state which never endured colonial rule is:
a. Malaysia
b. Thailand
c. Laos
d. Indonesia
3. The Philippines were colonized by:
a. U.S. and Spain
b. England and Spain
c. England and Japan
d. Spain and Holland
4. The world's busiest container port is:
a. Hong Kong
b. Bangkok
c. Surabaya
d. Singapore
5. Brunei's economy is based upon:
a. rice farming
b. gold mining
c. oil and gas
d. tourism
Describe how Indonesia has used foreign investment to fuel its development and explain differences in development between Sumatra, Java, and Kalimantan.
1. An important problem facing Malaysia at independence was the divide between Malays and:
a. Chinese
b. Indians
c. Siamese
d. b and c
e. a and b
2. The majority of Filipinos are:
a. Baptist
b. Muslim
c. Roman Catholic
d. Buddhist
3. Human rights abuses in East Timor have been committed by:
a. Indonesia
b. Thailand
c. Myanmar
d. Malaysia
4. The Golden Triangle produces ______ of the world's opium supply.
a. 70%
b. 90%
c. 80%
d. 60%
5. Most of Southeast Asia's rainforest will be destroyed by _______ if current rates of deforestation continue.
a. 2000
b. 2010
c. 2020
d. 2005
What are centrifugal forces? Provide examples from at least one Southeast Asian country.
Why has Southeast Asia become a major destination for Japanese foreign investment? Which countries are the leading recipients of Japanese investment.
Why has Thailand become the main smuggling and shipment center for Southeast Asian heroin?
Why do the ASEAN nations fear China? What are the main points of contention between China and ASEAN?
Give four examples of human rights abuses from Southeast Asia.
Discuss the environmental impacts of development in Southeast Asia. Also, explain in some detail the impacts of tropical deforestation on the region and on the indigenous people of Sarawak.
1. The oldest written work in any Indo-European language is:
a. Bible
b. Rig Veda
c. Indus Chronicles
d. Koran
2. An advanced urban culture first appeared in India during this period:
a. Aryan
b. Indus Valley
c. Muslim
d. British
3. Monsoon rains are dictated by:
a. seasonal shifts in winds
b. snow filled-air flowing from the Himalayas to
warmer areas further south
c. winter storms off the Indian Ocean
d. all of the above
4. The first pan-India state was established during:
a. Aryan period
b. Muslim Period
c. British Period
d. Indus Valley civilization
5. India's largest city is:
a. Calcutta
b. Bombay
c. Delhi
d. Madras
6. Nearly _____ of Indian's population lives in rural villages.
a. 76%
b. 34%
c. 95%
d. 10%
7. Varanasi:
a. is a former British hill station
b. owes its origin to modern commerce and industry
c. is an old fort city
d. is an important Hindu pilgrimage site
8. Which regional cooking retains ancient Dravidian elements?
a. Nawabi
b. Bengali
c. South Indian
d. Punjabi
9. This city still has many "Gentlemen's Clubs" which reflect its British colonial heritage.
a. Katmandu
b. Calcutta
c. Cochin
d. Madras
10. ______ led the National Congress Party's non-violent campaign against British rule in India.
a. Asoka
b. Nehru
c. Gandhi
d. Akbar
Who are the Aryans? Why are they significant?
Describe the caste system.
What are the three major geographic regions of the Indian subcontinent?
Briefly summarize Buddhism's main concepts.
Discuss the weaknesses which characterize urban planning in India.
Compare and contrast the dominant features of Hinduism and Islam. Explain the reasons behind Hindu-Muslim hostility in the Indian subcontinent.
Compare and contrast both the course of the demographic transition and population policies in China and India.
1. India's economic failures prior to 1990 was primarily due to:
a. communist government
b. democracy
c. too much foreign investment
d. faulty economic policies
2. About 90% of India's software exports go to:
a. Japan
b. U.S.
c. Britain
d. China
3. About _______ of India's labor force is involved in Agriculture.
a. 70%
b. 35%
c. 90%
d. 15%
4. Food production in Indian is greatly influenced by:
a. government pricing
b. the monsoon
c. availability of soft loans
d. all of the above
e. a and b only
5. Many of India's environmental problems are related to:
a. lack of environmental laws
b. ignorance of peasant farmers
c. economic distortions
d. lack of citizen concern
6. Kashmir guerrillas receive arms and training from:
a. Pakistan
b. China
c. Nepal
d. Bangladesh
7. Pakistan was created as a:
a. buffer state between Indian and Iran
b. homeland for Sikhs
c. homeland for Muslims
d. all of the above
8. In a typical year ______ of Bangladesh is subject to severe flooding.
a. 1/3
b. 1/10
c. 1/2
d. 3/4
9. A multiparty democracy was established in Nepal during:
a. 1978
b. 1991
c. 1962
d. 1947
10. Which group is seeking independence from Sri Lanka?
a. Sinhalese
b. Lankans
c. Buddhists
d. Tamils
What does the term "Green Revolution" refer to? How has it impacted India?
What does the UN use to designate "least developed country" status? Give two examples from South Asia.
What is the "Golden Crescent"?
List the key differences between India and China and discuss how they may influence future economic development.
What are the main future challenges faced by the countries of the Indian subcontinent?
What are the main regional autonomy/separatists movements in India? Discuss the centrifugal forces at work in each of these movements.