The age of empire, Essay Questions help

I am going to have to answer these questions in an essay. What I need most if for the examples to be laid out so that I can follow it easily. The examples need to be specific and well explained. Thank you in advance for your time!

1.The Age of Empire (specifically, the content discussed in chapter 18) was one of tremendous contradictions, but there were also many consistencies.What were the most glaring of these contradictions in Africa and India specifically? What were the most important areas of consistency in these regions?

2. In what ways did the trajectory of the United States during the period 1800-‐‐1915 mirror the trajectories of China, Japan, and other non-‐‐European countries? And, in what ways was it evolving in a completely different way? Please comment on the geographical, political,economic, social or cultural (pick at least two to discuss) factors that led to the similarities and/or dissimilarities in the development of the United States and at least two other regions.