10 Eng PLT Things Fall Apart Test Questions
character ID
1. Who is Chielo and what is the phrase she uses to refer to Ezinma?
2. Who is Amalinze and why is he called “The Cat?”
3. What is an ogbanje child?
4. Who are the egwugwu?
5. Who are the kotma and why do the people of Umuofia hate them?
6. Who are the osu? How do they cause a conflict within the new church and how is
that conflict resolved by Kiaga?
7. Who is the author of Things Fall Apart?
A. Femi Euba
B. Nelson Mandela
C. Ogbuefi Ezeudu
D. Chinua Achebe
8.
A.
B.
C.
D.
What is an ogbanje?
a tiny pebble that is the connection to the spirit world
an evil child who dies and whose spirit is reborn
a masked ancestral spirit
a musical instrument
9.
A.
B.
C.
D.
What great wrestler did Okonkwo beat?
Amalinze the Cat
Ezeudu the Great Forest
Timbu the Lion
Ogbuefi the Rooster
10. The uncle who receives Okonkwo after he is banished
A. Ezeudu
B. Uchendu
C. Ekwefi
D. Akunna
11. What is the name of Okonkwo’s second wife?
A. Ezinma
B. Ekwefi
C. Chielo
D. Ojiugo
Multiple choice
1. In what country does Things Fall Apart take place?
A. South Africa
B. Nigeria
C. Kenya
D. Ethiopia
2.
A.
B.
C.
D.
What does Okonkwo wish Ezinma had been?
His first child
Wiser
A better cook
A boy
3.
A.
B.
C.
D.
What is Okonkwo’s motherland called?
Umuofia
Mbanta
Umuonta
Manbu
4. What comes to the village that has not come in many years?
A. Kapos
B. The white man
C. Locusts
D. The Egwugwu
5.
A.
B.
C.
D.
When do the people of the clan break the kola nut?
Before declaring war
When welcoming each other
During wrestling tournaments
At funeral ceremonies
6.
A.
B.
C.
D.
In the Ibo tribe, what crop is the king of crops?
Cassava
Kola
Yams
Cowries
7.
A.
B.
C.
D.
What group of people see the white man’s religion as a way to “fit in?”
young people
the ogbuefi
the tappers
the osu
8.
A.
B.
C.
D.
What is an iron horse?
a car or truck
a horse wearing armor
a bike
a scooter
9.
A.
B.
C.
D.
In the folktale of Tortoise, what do the birds give to Tortoise?
food
feathers
bird seed
water
10. What does Enoch do to provoke the clan’s anger?
A. He steals 250 cowries.
B. He converts Nwoye
C. He unmasks an egwugwu
D. He kills a messenger
11. What is Okonkwo afraid of the most?
A. the missionaries taking over
B. confronting his father
C. being like his father
D. losing his place as one of the village leaders
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Short answer
1. What happens when Okoye comes to collect a debt from Unoka?
What “ultimatum,” or choice, do the people of Umuofia give to the people of
Mbaino? How do the people of Mbaino respond (which do they choose?)?
When Unoka goes to consult the oracle to find out why his crops don’t grow well,
what does the priestess Chika, who speaks for Agbala, tell Unoka?
What is done with someone who is suffering from the swelling sickness? Why?
When Okonkwo says, “Let the kite perch and let the eagle perch too. If one says no to
the other, let his wing break” what is he trying to communicate to Nwakibie (who is
the kite and who is the eagle? What is Okonkwo encouraging Nwakibie to do?)?
What two disastrous things happen that cause Okonkwo’s crops to fail? Since he
survived that unfortunate year, what lesson does Okonkwo take from his experience?
7. When Okonkwo beats his wife, Ojiugo, during the week of peace, how is Okonkwo
punished for his crime?
8. What did the punishment used to be for breaking the peace at this time and why
was the custom changed?
9. Why does Okonkwo participate in the killing of Ikemefuna despite Ezeudu’s
warning and how does he feel afterwards?
10. What is an ozo not allowed to do? Why?
11. How is a bride-price negotiated? Why is it done this way?
12. How did tortoise trick the birds and how did they get revenge on tortoise? What does this
story explain?
13. If a woman runs away from her husband, what must her family return to his family?
14. What is the punishment for accidentally killing a member of one’s clan?
15. Why do Obierika and others destroy Okonkwo’s compound? How do they feel about
Okonkwo?
16. What reaction do most of the villagers of Mbanta have to the success of the
missionaries in the Evil Forest (are they worried or not? WHY or WHY NOT?)?
17. When Okonkwo returns to Iguedo in Umuofia, what are two things he intends to
do in an attempt to regain his social status?
18. What good things have the whites done for the people of Umuofia?
19. Describe Mr. Smith and his religious philosophy (be specific).
20. What crime is committed by Enoch and what was his intention in doing this?
21. When Mr. Smith tells the egwugwu to go away, how does his interpreter translate
this to the natives? Why does the interpreter do this?
27. How does the District Commissioner trick the leaders of Umuofia?
28. Why doesn’t anyone from the village welcome the leaders when they return?
29. Why does Okonkwo kill himself?
30. Contrast the way Obierika and the District Commissioner respond to Okonkwo’s
death.
31.Why do you think the novel ends with the District Commissioner’s thoughts about his book?
What is ironic about the way the commissioner intends to tell Okonkwo’s story?
Essay
1A. Compare Okonkwo and his father. 1B. Compare Okonkwo and Obierika.
2. Choose a universal human norm (customs concerning family structure, eating, conflict
resolution) and discuss the culturally specific way this is done by the Ibo in Things Fall
Apart.
3. Discuss the way politics and religion are intertwined in Ibo society in Things Fall
Apart.