Question: When the tearful broadcaster broke the news to North Koreans that their leader, Kim Jong Il, had died, the audience in the hall gasped.

Then the hysterics began, along with the bawling and sobbing.

"Father!" mourners cried. A wailing woman pounded her fist against her chest to signify heartache. Some appeared to go into physical convulsions. Other North Koreans sobbed so hard, they barely maintained their balance.

"Our leader endured all the hardships," one mourner told state-run Korean Central News Agency in a televised interview. "I can't believe it. Our leader, he's still with us."

Even the reporter holding KCNA's microphone bowed his head and trembled.

In North Korean media videos viewed by CNN, people wept in fitful, theatrical proportions. Whether the mass grieving was genuine is up to debate.

Cultures grieve differently. For instance, in South Korea, it's acceptable to express sorrow vocally, said Sung-Yoon Lee, a research fellow at the National Asia Research Program.

But North Korea presents a unique case.

"It's such a regimented, uniform society, people are conditioned from their early years to praise and adore their leader," he said. "The passing of their leader would be an indication to grieve properly so they are not to be stigmatized by failing to grieve properly. There are always people watching you -- if you are not devastated by the news, you may get in trouble."

While some may exaggerate, for others the grief is authentic, Lee said.

"I think there would be great deal of sincerity, because they're so programmed and conditioned and have an incentive to outperform their families, neighbors in grieving properly," he said. "North Koreans are raised to praise their leader, as are Christians for God. For North Koreans, it's part of the rhetoric to thank the fatherly leader. For them to learn the death of a near God-like leader, it certainly has an emotional reaction." 1. What Asian country is this story primarily about?
2. Which of their leaders is mentioned?
3. WHat heppened to him?
4. Who reported on it?
5. How did the people react to the news?
6. How can you tell?
7. Anything else?
8. Did the newsman remain composed?
9. WHat did he do?
10. Are these reactions sincere?
11. who tried to explain these reactions?
12. Who is he?
13. Where?
14. What explanation did he give for why some reactions might not be sincere?
15. What explanation did he give for why some reactions might be sincere?
16. Is it a diverse country?
17. Are there a lot of rules?
18. How do they feel about their leader?
19. What do they call him? Provide a numbered list of answers.
****
A numbered of answers: 1. North Korea
2. Kim Jong Il
3. he died
4. KCNA
5. They were upset
6. A wailing woman pounded her fist against her chest
7. Some went into convulsions
8. No
9. bowed his head and trembled
10. some were
11. Sung-Yoon Lee
12. a research fellow
13. at the National Asia Research Program
14. There are always people watching you -- if you are not devastated by the news, you may get in trouble
15. because they're so programmed
16. No
17. Yes
18. they adore him
19. Father

Question: Mosaic has a long history, starting in Mesopotamia in the 3rd millennium BC. Pebble mosaics were made in Tiryns in Mycenean Greece; mosaics with patterns and pictures became widespread in classical times, both in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Early Christian basilicas from the 4th century onwards were decorated with wall and ceiling mosaics. Mosaic art flourished in the Byzantine Empire from the 6th to the 15th centuries; that tradition was adopted by the Norman kingdom in Sicily in the 12th century, by eastern-influenced Venice, and among the Rus in Ukraine. Mosaic fell out of fashion in the Renaissance, though artists like Raphael continued to practise the old technique. Roman and Byzantine influence led Jews to decorate 5th and 6th century synagogues in the Middle East with floor mosaics.

Bronze age pebble mosaics have been found at Tiryns; mosaics of the 4th century BC are found in the Macedonian palace-city of Aegae, and the 4th-century BC mosaic of The Beauty of Durres discovered in Durres, Albania in 1916, is an early figural example; the Greek figural style was mostly formed in the 3rd century BC. Mythological subjects, or scenes of hunting or other pursuits of the wealthy, were popular as the centrepieces of a larger geometric design, with strongly emphasized borders. Pliny the Elder mentions the artist Sosus of Pergamon by name, describing his mosaics of the food left on a floor after a feast and of a group of doves drinking from a bowl. Both of these themes were widely copied. 1. What is the starting date of Mosaic?
2. Where did it start?
3. Where have Bronze age pebble mosaics been located?
4. In what part of Greece were Pebble Mosaics made?
5. During what period did mosaic art flourish?
6. And what was the period's name?
7. What was the period between 6th to the 15th century named?
8. In which century were mosaics found in Macedonia ?
9. In what city?
10. At what location?
11. What was found in Durres?
12. When? Provide a numbered list of answers.
****
A numbered of answers:
1. the 3rd millennium BC.
2. Mesopotamia
3. in Tiryns
4. Mycenean
5. the 6th to the 15th centuries
6. unknown
7. during the Byzantine Empire
8. 4th century BC
9. Aegae
10. in the palace-city
11. The Beauty of Durres
12. 4th-century BC