Things Fall Apart Test
I.
Multiple Choice.
l. The event that influenced Ekwefi’s feelings for Okonkwo was
a. seeing Okonkwo perform as one of the ancestral spirits
b. observing him caring for his youngest daughter
c. his winning a wrestling match with Amalinze, the Cat
d. the building of a huge barn for his many yams
2. Which animal is sacred to the Ibos?
a. python b.rat c. cow d. chicken
3. The iron horse is
a. a train b. the British c. a type of gun d. a bicycle
4. Mbanta is the village where
a. Ogbuefi Udo’s wife was murdered
b. Okonkwo lived
c. Okonkwo’s mother’s family lived
d. an entire tribe is wiped out
5. Umofia is a clan territory comprised of how many territories?
a. 1 b. 9 c. 2 d. 7
6. Achebe sets his story in what era?
a. 1880s b. 1760s c. early 1900s d. 1930s
7. Which event marks the beginning of Okonkwo’s downfall?
a. the death of his father
b. participating in the death of Ikemefuna
c. moving to his mother’s village
d. getting arrested by the British
8. One event that foreshadows Nwyoe’s conversion is
a. the death of Ikemefuna
b. the killing of the python
c. the practice of polygamy
d. the death of Eseudu’s son
9. The title of the book comes from
a. a play b. a quotation by Martin Luther King, Jr.
c. a song d. a poem
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10. What is chi?
a personal god b. evil fortune c. a hut d. money
11. Why does Okonkwo almost shoot his second wife, Ekwefi?
a. because she defied him
b. because she refused to allow her child to
go with the priestess
c. because he thinks she has cut down his banana tree
d. because she hides her daughter from Chielo
12. Why does Okonkwo strike Ikemefuna?
a. to show his strength in his beliefs
b. to prove a point to his son
c. to improve his status
d. because he disliked him
13. How does Okonkwo break the rules of the Week of Peace?
a. he yells at Nwoye
b. he beats one of his wives
c. he beats his children
d. he kills a thieving tribesman
14. How does Okonkwo define a coward?
a. someone who is afraid to fight for his beliefs
b. a man who does not beat his wives
c. a man who is afraid to change
d. a man who does not rule his home
15. What can Obierika or Okonkwo’s friends NOT do?
a. get him out of jail
b. save him from his fears
c. cut down his body and bury him
d. shed his blood
16. What is Okonkwo’s last attempt to save his traditional Ibo
values?
a. killing Ikemefuna
b. marrying two more wives
c. burning the church
d. killing the messenger
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17. At the town meeting, Okika brings up the idea
that if the clan wars with the British, they will be
caught in the predicament of
a. losing their water supply
b. fighting their own people
c. losing their land
d. losing their men, reducing their chances for survival
18. Why does Okonkwo wish Enzima was a boy?
a. she is brave
b. she is a good fighter
c. she is strong
d. she understands him
19. The outcast osu are
a. converted by the British
b. killed by the clan
c. recruited to spy
d. hired by the British to serve as jailer
20. What is the most influential crop?
a. the potato
b. the yam
c. palms
d. cassava
21. Who are the egwugwu?
a. imaginary spirits
b. oracles
c. the tribal council
d. children who die and return to the mother’s womb
22. What is an obi?
a. fruit b. a man’s hut c. a spirit d. an outcast
23. What causes Ekwefi’s bitterness?
a. her inability to raise a child
b. her husband’s preference for his new wife
c. her husband’s favoritism of her child
d. her jealousy over the others’ success with farming
24. Chielo is a
a. priestess b. a goddess c. a village d. a worthless man
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25. Okonkwo despises his father because he thinks he
a. did not raise enough crops
b. did not love him
c. cares too much for his flute
d. is a worthless man
26. Another name for a worthless man is
a. egwugwu b. nso-ani c. ekwe d. efulefu
27. All of the following are practices to destroy the ogbanje
EXCEPT
a. sending the pregnant mother to another village
b. mutilating a dead baby
c. making the mother stay separate from the baby
d. destroying the iyi-uwa
28. Kola was often used for
a. social occasions b. pounded yam c. keeping one awake d. making
drums
29. There was no law for killing the python because
a. no one had ever survived it
b. no one had ever dared do it
c. the gods would perform the punishment
d. they were often a threat
30. Before the British began a vigorous campaign of conversion,
the Ibo drew solidarity from their belief in all EXCEPT
a. the god Chukwu b. their rigid rules
c. the guidance of the Oracles d. their chi
II. True or False: Use A for true and B for false.
31. Colonialism was ending when Things Fall Apart appeared.
32. Achebe hoped his writing would help to improve the lives of
African people today.
33. Mr. Brown was better liked than his successor.
34. Okonkwo names his first child born in exile Nwofa, “born in
the wilderness.”
35. Okoli was the convert accused of killing the missionary.
36. Uchendu, Okonkwo’s uncle, makes it difficult for him
to start a new life.
37. No one suspects the identity of the egwugu.
38. The Oracle of the Hills and Caves dispenses advice and
overlooks all aspects of life in the village of Umuofia
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39. Enzima is pampered by her mother due to her mother’s
previous unsuccessful births.
40. Obierika questions the traditions of his society more
than Okonkwo does.
41. Achebe was born to traditional Umuofian parents and
was christianized by a missionary similar
to Mr. Brown.
42. Achebe tries to reverse some of the stereotypical
beliefs of Nigerians perpetuated by the British.
43. Achebe adopted the name Chinua.
44. The novel was first published in 1974.
45. The District Commissioner plans to use
Okonkwo’s story for a chapter in his
new book.
46. Okonkwo’s ultimate irony is the similarity
of his death to his father’s.
47. Reverend Brown uses a more flexible
and understanding approach with the Ibos.
48. Obierika participates in the burning of Okonkwo’s
hut.
49. Obierika visits Okonkwo to tell him of the changes
that are taking place at home.
50. Oberika finally consents to his daughter marrying a
man from his mother’s village.
Multiple Choice: Select the best answer.
51. All of the following can be called a tragic flaw of Okonkwo’s except
a. his fear of weakness
b. his desire to be wealthy
c. not being able to see beyond his society’s rules
d. his inability to change
52. Who is not one of Okonkwo’s wives?
a. Nwoye’s mother
b. Ekwefie
c. Nneka
d. Ojiugo
53. Which is not true about the author?
a. He is a social novelist.
b. He was in an automobile accident that paralyzed him.
c. He hated the view of Africans presented by Heart of Darkness.
d. He fails to show the flaws of Igbo culture.
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54. All of the following are true EXCEPT
a.
b.
c.
d.
Official British control of Nigeria began in 1914
The British were interested in the palm oil.
The Ibo are the third most populous ethnic group in Nigeria.
Many Ibo were taken by European slave traders in the 1800s.
55. Which was most important to the Ibo?
a. Eloquence
b. Personal achievement
c. Athletic prowess
d. Kinship
56. Which is not an important commodity in Umuofia?
a. salt
b. yams
c. palm oil
d. cassava
57. These are all true EXCEPT
a. Decisions are made by consensus
b. There is no single leader
c. All the adult males make decisions
d. A man has no control over his chi
58. Chinua Achebe tried to do the following EXCEPT
a.
b.
c.
d.
educate Nigerians about colonialism
lessen the European stereotype of the Nigerian
present a positive view of African culture
reinforce the cultural views of Europe
59. All of the following are true about chi according to the assigned article except
a. Okonkwo inherited a bad chi from his father
b. chi has religious origins
c. when Okonkwo said yes, his chi said yes also
d. when he goes to his motherland, his chi says no
60. What is the English equivalent to bride price?
a. alimony b. a dowry c. bridal showers d. inheritance
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