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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. As with vintage and concern with years with wine in Europe, different tea periods can tell us what about Japan?

2. For what was tea praised?

3. It is said that a man named Kwanyin presented to his master Lao Tzu tea in what?

4. A typical Westerner might see in the tea ceremony a certain ____________________________ that he would then equate to the entire culture of Japan and its people.

5. Is it appropriate for Westerners to learn tea's origins and how tea is used elsewhere?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did the two men do once they parted ways?

2. What are Taoist beliefs? How did this affect the feelings toward authority and laws?

3. Who began modernization in Japan? What did modernization do to Japan, according to the author?

4. Who was Lu Wu? What were his beliefs about tea?

5. What is teaism?

6. Will the West ever truly understand the East? Why or why not? What stereotypes have formed? Are these stereotypes breaking down? Why or why not?

7. What did Fenollosa and Okakura do together? How and why did their travels together end?

8. What does the author say about Tao and Taoism?

9. What might a typical Westerner see in the tea ceremony?

10. What is Zennism?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Tea masters were conscious of art as a living, present influence.

Part 1) Support this statement with facts from this book. How does this also reinforce Eastern philosophical and religious beliefs?

Part 2) How do Westerners view art? How does this view affect how Westerners treat art and what art is made?

Part 3) How do you view art? How have you come to this belief? How does it compare to the tea master's view of art?

Essay Topic 2

Tea began as a medicine and only gradually grew into a beverage.

Part 1) Describe the medicinal uses of tea. How did this gradually lead to tea being a beverage? How did this beverage then spread throughout the world?

Part 2) What are the three main tea eras? How did each begin? How is each era unique? What commonalities exist between these eras? What influenced how tea was made and how it was served? How important is the tea room in the tea service? How does the tea room reflect the tea master and the tea that is being served?

Part 3) How has the U.S. been affected by the spread of the popularity of tea? How is tea a part of our culture today? How does U.S. tea culture compare to the Japanese tea culture described in the book? Is one tea culture superior? If so, how? If not, why not?

Essay Topic 3

Zennism influenced tea rooms.

Part 1) Describe Zennism. How did Zennism influence tea rooms? What else has influenced tea room design and ritual?

Part 2) How do these tea rooms compare to other Japanese structures? What are the reasons for any differences? What does this reveal about the tea room?

Part 3) How has Zennism and other aspects of Japanese culture influenced Western culture? What does this reveal about Western culture?

(see the answer keys)

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