Explore topic-wise InterviewSolutions in .

Only a people alive to beauty in their surroundings and who have plenty of time for contemplation during their meditative walking would take the trouble to decorate the pavements they walk on.

(c) bowing girls.

With beautiful black mosaics.

Tokyo and Osaka.

The bowing girls have to bow deeply and deferentially to all and sundry that visit the Japanese stores.

A deer bowed to Mikes in Japan.

According to Mikes, two conductors enter the carriage in a slightly theatrical scene.

According to Mikes, the sister bows to all brothers in a Japanese family.

According to Mikes, while eating soup one must make a fearful noise.

(b) appreciation.

(a) savages.

The deer snatched the little food-bag from Mikes’ hand.

As soon as a bus arrives in Japan, the bowing gentlemen are transformed into savages.

(a) regards him as a fair game.

At Nara in Japan, a deer created the impression that it bowed to the author.

The drivers in Brazil are on the lookout for any pedestrians stepping off the pavement, who they regard as a fair game.

The speaker compares Japanese bowing to the ceremonious solemnity of a courtier.

(c) the worst place.

The author considers Avenida Presidente Vargas as the worst place in Brazil for pedestrians.

The writer met a deer in one of the parts of Nara, which is a wild deer park in Japan.

Yes. In this article, the author introduces the reader to one of the most fascinating and conspicuous cultural habits of the Japanese people. He tells the reader that as soon as you land in Japan, you perceive immediately that the Japanese are exquisitely wellmannered. Very soon, you will also discover that the Japanese are very courteous and ensure that they do not violate a speaker’s privacy while talking to someone over the phone. Then you come to be a witness to people bowing to each other almost everywhere as if it is an obsession with them.

However, the author records his appreciation for their skill and style of bowing. He says that people bow to each other with the ceremonious solemnity of a courtier and yet with a great deal of natural and inimitable grace. Then he remarks that bowing is neither less nor more silly than shaking hands or kissing the cheek, but it is quainter, more formal, more oriental and also infectious.

He says so because, while anyone can learn the art of shaking hands or kissing the cheek perfectly well, it is extremely difficult for a European to learn to do ‘bowing’ the way Japanese do because, in a split second, the Japanese manage to subtly reflect all the nuances one needs to follow while bowing. They successfully exhibit the smallest difference in rank, standing, age, and social position. On the other hand, if a European attempts to bow to someone, he or she will bow too deeply or not deeply enough; they bow to the wrong man at the wrong time or they do not clasp their hands in front of them which is bad or they do in a wrong way which is considered even worse.

(b) and (c) wife bow to her husband/ sisters bow to their brothers.

(c) well-mannered people

According to Mikes, the people of Japan highly respect one another’s privacy.

The author George Mikes concludes his observations with his comments on the Japanese way of eating soup. He remarks that eating soup has more dangers than almost anything else. He opines so because eating soup in a Japanese house puts an outsider in a dilemmatic situation. The Japanese host expects the ‘guest’ to make a fearful noise to Show his sign of appreciation while eating soup. If the guest is a European and if he or she does not make a fearful noise, then the host will think that their guest is an ill-mannered lout. But, having knowledge of this custom, if a European visitor makes a fearful noise while eating soup to express his appreciation, then the host will think that he must be an ill-mannered lout because the Japanese know that no reasonably well brought up European makes such disgusting noises when eating soup.

According to George Mikes, the people of Brazil are both leisurely and speed-loving. He remarks that however close by or far off their destination may be, Brazilians do not seem to bother about the time it might take for them to reach their destination. They do not hurry at all; they do not mind even if they reach their destination either an hour too soon or a day late or may not reach at all. But the very same leisurely people, as soon as they get a steering wheel in their hands, no speed is fast enough for them. If one looks at their driving speed, one would be inclined to believe that gaining a tenth of a second is a matter of grave importance for all of them all the time.

According to George Mikes, as soon as we land in Japan, the first thing we notice is bowing is so ubiquitous in Japan. The writer comments that it is the mania of the Japanese. He remarks that everyone keeps bowing to everybody else with the ceremonious solemnity of a courtier yet with a great deal of natural and inimitable grace. If two Japanese bow, as a rule, neither is to straighten up before the other stands erect in front of him. He states that bowing is quainter, more formal, and more oriental and also infectious.

Besides, he also says that the Japanese follow a complicated hierarchy in bowing. This system decides who bows to whom, how deeply and for how long. Though it is a little complicated to us, the Japanese manage it without difficulty and subtly and reflect in their bowing even the smallest difference in rank, standing, age, and social position in a split second.

Apart from saying that the Japanese follow a complicated hierarchy in their bowing, the author says that the Japanese follow certain basic rules inside the family. 

They are the wife bows to her husband, the child bows to his father, younger brothers to elder brothers and the sister bows to all brothers of whatever age.

In Japanese stores, bowing girls stand at the top of escalators and their only duty is to bow deeply and deferentially to all and sundry. The ticket checking conductors on the fast Tokaido Line, march to the middle of the coach and bow ceremoniously in both directions before checking the tickets.

At Nara, a deer created the impression that it bowed to the author.

The author George Mikes, having described in detail how ‘bowing’ is followed so ritualistically in Japan, towards the end of the article narrates an incident that happened in one of the parts in Nara, a deer park in Japan. The author bought a pack of food for a deer. On seeing the pack of food, the deer went up to him, looked into his eyes and bowed to him deeply. Then, almost immediately, it jumped at him and snatched the little food-bag from his hand.

Using this incident as an analogy, George Mikes makes fun of the Japanese people, for their ugly behaviour while boarding a bus. He tells the reader in a sarcastic tone that we can often see the Japanese bowing to each other with ceremonious serenity even at bus-stops. Then he says, “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”. The reader, who had all along been encouraged to develop a kind of admiration for the Japanese habit of respectful bowing, is shocked or stunned by this revelation.

The writer George Mikes remarks that for the Japanese people ‘bowing’ has become a mania. However, he also speaks in an appreciative tone and says that the people bow to each other with the solemnity of a courtier yet with a great deal of natural and inimitable grace. Besides, he also says that the Japanese follow a complicated hierarchy in bowing. This system decides who bows to whom, how deeply and for how long. Though it is a little complicated to us, the Japanese manage it without difficulty and subtly and reflect in their bowing even the smallest difference in rank, standing, age, and social position in a split second.

While recording his observations about the paradoxical behaviour of the people in time management, George Mikes says that nobody hurries in Brazil and do not seem to be worried whether they reach their destination an hour too soon, a day late, or not at all. Though his statement appears to be an exaggeration, George Mikes then tells us the reason. His inference seems to be based on his imaginative assessment of the probable time a pedestrian in Copacabana takes to move from one end of a street to the next while walking on the pavement, enjoying the beauty of the black mosaics on the pavements. George Mikes says that the natives seem to relish such beautiful decorations on the pavements and do not mind spending time meditating on the beautiful mosaics while walking on the pavements.

He then cites another instance which highlights the incredible size of the crawling traffic in Avenida Presidente Vargas. Imagining that a pedestrian standing on one side of the street, asks his friend on the other side, how he got there, his friend would reply that he was born on that side and he did not go there crossing the street. This imaginary incident would tell the reader about the size of the moving traffic in Brazil.

According to George Mikes, the people of Brazil are both leisurely and speed-loving. Then he says that the people love driving their cars at such speed that as soon as the drivers get a steering wheel in their hands, no speed is fast enough for them. They seem to believe that gaining a tenth of a second is a matter of grave importance for them all the time. The drivers usually lookout for pedestrians who step off the pavement and regard such pedestrians as a fair game. They take aim and accelerate their vehicle. The pedestrians have to jump, leap and run for their dear life. Naturally, on account of such speed-loving people, a pedestrian’s life is hazardous in Brazil.

The people of Japan live on a hopelessly overcrowded island where they have no privacy. However, the people are so wellmannered that they are courteous enough not to overhear a conversation when they find anyone talking to someone else over the telephone. The speaker can consider the telephone receiver as his castle and conduct his most confidential business transactions and intimate love-quarrels in public, yet in perfect privacy without becoming apprehensive about anyone overhearing his conversation.

(a) page-boys.

According to George Mikes, bowing is so ubiquitous in Japan, it is the mania of the Japanese. Everyone keeps bowing to everybody else with the ceremonious solemnity of a courtier yet with a great deal of natural and inimitable grace. If two Japanese bow, as a rule, neither is to straighten up before the other stands erect in front of him. He states that bowing is quainter, more formal, and more oriental and also infectious.

Besides, he also says that the Japanese follow a complicated hierarchy in bowing. This system decides who bows to whom, how deeply and for how long. Though it is a little complicated to us, the Japanese manage it without difficulty and subtly and reflect in their bowing even the smallest difference in rank, standing, age, and social position in a split second.

Apart from saying that the Japanese follow a complicated hierarchy in their bowing, the author says that the Japanese follow certain basic rules inside the family. They are the wife bows to her husband, the child bows to his father, younger brothers to elder brother stand the sister bows to all brothers of whatever age.

While recording his observations about the traffic in Brazil, the author comments about the reckless driving style of the Brazilian people. Then he expresses his surprise over the growing number of motor cars in Brazil, despite the fact that import duties charged by the government for importing cars are crippling and murderous, then he gives the reader an anecdote to help him visualize to himself the number of vehicles that are there and the way they move on the roads.

He tells the reader that one witness the worst traffic problems in Avenida Presidente Vargas. If a pedestrian were to stand on one side of the road, trying to cross the road and contemplating the truly fascinating problem, ‘How can crawling traffic proceed at such terrifying speed?’, he will be spending hour after hour without a ray of hope of an auspicious crossing. Then he rounds up his anecdote telling us that, the pedestrian will witness a scene in which a man standing beside you, on your side of the Avenida Vargas, suddenly catches sight of a friend of his on the other side and starts waving to him. Then he will ask him, “How did you get there?” The other fellow being surprised by this naive question will yell back, “How? I was born on this side!” One can easily infer the author’s intention in giving us this anecdote.

According to George Mikes, the people of Brazil are both leisurely and speed-loving. Then he says that the people love driving their cars at such speed that as soon as the drivers get a steering wheel in their hands, no speed is fast enough for them. They seem to believe that gaining a tenth of a second is a matter of grave importance for them all the time. The drivers usually lookout for pedestrians who step off the pavement and regard such pedestrians as a fair game. They take aim and accelerate their vehicle. The pedestrians have to jump, leap and run for their dear life. Naturally, on account of such speed-loving people, a pedestrian’s life is hazardous in Brazil.

(b) how the Japanese respect privacy

Only a quarter of an hour.

Avenida Presidente Vargas, known for its terrifying speed of traffic on the road, is the worst place of all in Brazil.

The excerpt titled ‘Japanese Manners’ is a good specimen of travel writing, by George Mikes, a Hungarian-born British travel writer. In this excerpt the author shares’ his experience of travelling in Japan and tries to draw the readers’ attention to what is most striking about the Japanese people as seen by a touring journalist.

Though bowing to their fellowmen in Japanese society is a normal trait of Japanese behaviour, to an outsider like George Mikes, ‘bowing’ appears to be an obsession with the Japanese. That is why George Mikes chooses to comment about the bowing patterns of the Japanese in this piece of travel writing.

According to George Mikes, as soon as we land in Japan, the first thing we notice is bowing is so ubiquitous in Japan. The writer comments that it is the mania of the Japanese. He remarks that everyone keeps bowing to everybody else with the ceremonious solemnity of a courtier yet with a great deal of natural and inimitable grace. If two Japanese bow, as a rule, neither is to straighten up before the other stands erect in front of him. He states that bowing is quainter, more formal, and more oriental and also infectious.

Besides, he also says that the Japanese follow a complicated hierarchy in bowing. This system decides who bows to whom, how deeply and for how long. Though it is a little complicated to us, the Japanese manage it without difficulty and subtly and reflect in their bowing even the smallest difference in rank, standing, age, and social position in a split second.

Apart from saying that the Japanese follow a complicated hierarchy in their bowing, the author says that the Japanese follow certain basic rules inside the family. They are the wife bows to her husband, the child bows to his father, younger brothers to elder brothers and the sister bows to all brothers of whatever age.

George Mikes narrates two very unique habits of the people noticed by every tourist in Japan. One of them is their mannerism of bowing. However, the author’s description is quite packed with humour as well as admiration. He calls the bowing habit of the Japanese a ‘mania’ and says “everybody keeps bowing to everyone else, with the ceremonious solemnity of a courtier yet with a great deal of natural and inimitable grace”. Interspersed in his description of their bowing, there are certain statements which make the description sound humorous in a subtle way.

They are

• After a few hours you start bowing yourself; you bow to the wrong man at the wrong time; you do not clasp your hands in front of you which is bad, or you do which is worse.
• If two Japanese bow, neither is to straighten up before the other stands erect in front of him. 
• saw babies carried in Japanese style on their mothers’ backs in clever little saddles, and whenever the mother bowed, the baby bowed too, somewhat condescendingly, from his majestic height.
• Bowing girls in Japanese stores stand at the top of escalators and their only duty is to bow deeply and deferentially to all and sundry.
• The ticket checking conductors on the fast Tokaido Line, march to the middle of the coach and bow ceremoniously in both directions before checking the tickets.
• About the deer in ‘Nara’, the author comments, “it is something genetic and is in the blood of Japanese deer”.
• At the bus-stop, “the bowing gentlemen are transformed into savages” as soon as a bus arrives.

According to George Mikes, as soon as we land in Japan, the first thing we notice is the mania of bowing, which is so ubiquitous in Japan. The writer comments that it is the mania of the Japanese. He remarks that everyone keeps bowing to everybody else with the ceremonious solemnity of a courtier yet with a great deal of natural and inimitable grace. If two Japanese bow, as a rule neither is to straighten up before the other stands erect in front of him. He states that bowing is quainter, more formal, and more oriental and also infectious.

Further, he says that the Japanese follow a complicated hierarchy in bowing. This system decides who bows to whom, how deeply, and for how long. Though it is a little complicated to us, the Japanese manage it without difficulty and subtly and reflect in their bowing even the smallest difference in rank, standing, age, and social position in a split second. Apart from saying that the Japanese follow a complicated hierarchy in their bowing, the author says that the Japanese follow certain basic rules inside the family. They are the wife bows to her husband, the child bows to his father, younger brothers to elder brothers, and the sister bows to all brothers of whatever age.

(b) Japanese.