Name: _________________________________
Class: _________
Answer Scheme
Things Fall Apart Prelims 2013
a) “Who else among his children could have read his thought so
well?”
What
was
special
about
Ezinma’s
relationship
with
Okonkwo?
 This question stemmed from a quote taken from Chapter 20 Pg 153 where
Okonkwo expressed this in his own private thoughts when Ezinma explained
to Obiageli why they should only consider suitors when they return to
Umuofia.
 The full quote:
“There are many good and prosperous people, here but I shall be happy if
you marry in Umuofia when we return home.”
That was all he said. But Ezinma had seen clearly all the thought and hidden
meaning behind the few words. And she had agreed.
“Your half-sister, Obiageli will not understand me,” Okonkwo said. “But you
can explain to her.”
“I wish she were a boy,” Okonkwo thought within himself. She understood
things so perfectly. Who among his children could have read his thought so
well? With two beautiful grown up daughters his return to Umuofia would
attract considerable attention. His future sons-in-law would be men of authority
in the clan. The poor and unknown would not dare to come forth.
 If students know the text well, they would know the context out of which
this question was drawn. Marks will be awarded if they do address the
context of the question as this demonstrates knowledge of text and
understanding of question.
 This quote reveals to readers quite a few things with regards to what makes
the relationship between Okonkwo and Ezinma special
1. He obviously singles her out as the only one who understands him among his
11 children.
2. He specifically said she “read his thought” which implies that Ezinma
understands him on a very deep level/ knows even his unspoken thoughts.
She has a tacit understanding of Okonkwo.
3. This, coming from a man who is not outwardly affectionate to his children
and seems incapable of recognising the value of others besides himself, is
quite a striking comment.
4. This also clearly contrasts with his treatment of Nwoye. It shows a different
side of himself as a doting father who is appreciative of his child’s qualities as
opposed to the malevolent father that he is to Nwoye.
Other quotes that students should refer to when addressing this question:
 Chapter 5 Pg 39: ‘Okonkwo was specially fond of Ezinma. She looked very
much like her mother, who was once the village beauty. But his fondness
only showed on very rare occasions.’
 This quote implies that Okonkwo is aware of the resemblance Ezinma has to
her beautiful mother and is perhaps proud of his charming daughter
 There is also enough evidence to suggest that not only does Ezinma look like
her mother, she is also a strong-willed, brave and determined womanqualities which Okonkwo would probably hold in high esteem
 Also, because Ekwefi had so many failed childbirths, Ezinma’s birth was a
much anticipated and cherished blessing
 Nonetheless, what is striking is that these observations go unexpressed and
Okonkwo does not verbalise his pride and fondness for Ezinma.
 This makes the relationship special because Okonkwo does not need to
verbalise his approval or affection for Ezinma to reciprocate his love and
affection
 Chapter 8 Pg 55: ‘She should have been a boy,’ he thought as he looked at
his ten year old daughter. He passed her a piece of fish.
 Chapter 8 Pg 57: “If Ezinma had been a boy I would have been happier. She
has the right spirit.”
 Nevertheless, despite his apparent affection for Ezinma, he does not stop
wishing that she is a boy. It adds a level of complexity to the relationship
because it seems, he can never fully appreciate Ezinma because she is
simply not a son.
b) Umuofia was powerless in the face of colonisation. To what
extent would you agree with this statement?
Possible answers:
Agree to a large extent
 The Abame Invasion showed us that the whites had advanced weapons and
superior methods of assault/ attacking
 Mr Brown’s persuasiveness was convincing and compelling- it was indeed
true that they needed to educate themselves so that they would not be
manipulated and deceived. It was reasoning that they could not dispute
 The culture of Umuofia was such that they would not go to war if there was
a peaceful solution to things. Mr Brown posed little threat to them. In fact he
offered schools and hospitals which only seemed to benefit the people
rather than bring them harm
 There were already cracks in the society as there were individuals like
Nwoye, Obierika and Enoch who were sceptical of their own traditions and
cultures. Colonisation was a simply the mallet to an already-fragile society
Disagree
 Umuofia could have repelled/ driven away characters like Mr Brown instead
of welcoming him and embracing his presence in their community
 Being such a powerful village, they could have taken the necessary steps to
drive out the white men instead of allowing them to build schools and
churches
c) (i) What is striking about Akunna’s discussion with Mr Brown?
Refer closely to the passage in your response.
 Firstly, what is striking is that this is a very tense and sensitive discussion
about religion and they are both trying to convince each other about their
point of view. Interestingly, they are having such a peaceable and amiable
conversation without either one losing their temper or getting into a major
disagreement
 Secondly, this conversation is very enlightening to the readers in the sense
that we learn that the religious beliefs in Umuofia has quite a few things in
common with Christianity than what we had assumed in the previous
chapters
 Thirdly, Akunna discusses this issue of religion in such a sensible,
sophisticated and intelligent manner that it also dispels this idea of the
Umuofians as primitive or brute.
 Lastly, ironically, after learning more about the religion in Umuofia and
discovering its similarities, Mr Brown, uses this new knowledge to plan his
‘attack’ on their faith and plots how to convince them to convert to
Christianity instead of having respect for a religion that is so similar to his
(ii)
With reference to two other characters in the novel,
explain how religion has altered the fate of Umuofia?
Possible characters to consider:
 Reverend James Smith- under his reign, the over-zealous converts flourished
under him. He frowned on any form of adherence to Umuofian beliefs,
effectively obliterating the converts’ allegiance to Umuofian culture,
tradition and customs as well
 Enoch- his bold endeavour to prove his loyalty to Christianity results in a
series of events that greatly alters the fate of Umuofia: unmasking of
egwugwu led to the burning of the church and the eventual punishment of
Okonkwo and the leaders of the clan -> weakens the clan leaders’ credibility
because they have been outwitted by the white men
 Nwoye- Nwoye’s plan to bring his mother and siblings to join him
foreshadows the fall of Umuofia because now even their own people are
turning against them- his plans show how religion divides a family and
eventually lead to the disintegration of the family ties
 Note: Mr Kiaga and Nneka- the woman carrying twins was in Mbanta