Dr. Prinsky

Humn. 2002

Test on Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

1. Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart represents the language and literature of all the following except which one: (a) Swahili (b) Nigeria (c) English (d) Igbo

3. As indicated in the NAWM introduction, as well as the novel itself, the African society depicted in the novel is largely characterized as: (a) monarchic (b) oligarchic (c) socialistic (d) democratic

4. As suggested in the NAWM introduction (and lecture), Achebe's novel could be seen as a reaction or reply to the novels of all the following writers except which one: (a) Doris Lessing (b) Albert Camus (c) Gunter Grass (d) Joyce Cary (e) Graham Greene

5. As suggested in the NAWM introduction, Achebe's style and its sources in Things Fall Apart help convey about the African society and social situation depicted all of the following except which one: (a) uniformity (b) richness (c) diversity (d) barriers

6. The key concept or theme of the novel that is discussed at length in the NAWM introduction is closest to which period or era of cultural history and the arts or music: (a) Classicism or Neoclassicism (b) Romanticism (c) Impressionism (d) Experimentalism

7. As suggested in the NAWM introduction, the literary device that most characterizes the novel's title is: (a) metaphor (b) allusion (c) simile (d) personification

8. As indicated in the NAWM introduction, the novel's title refers to a poem by: (a) Charles Baudelaire (b) Emily Dickinson (c) Birago Diop (d) William Butler Yeats (e) Leopold Senghor

9. The title of the novel by Chinua Achebe shows, toward European culture: (a) rejection (b) indifference (c) amalgamation (d) disregard

10. As indicated in the NAWM introduction and the work itself, the main character (protagonist), Okonkwo, fails to harmonize all the following except which one: (a) male and female (b) father and son (c) artistic and pragmatic (d) courage and fighting

11. A key concept discussed in the NAWM introduction and the novel itself is that of: (a) hubris (b) chi (c) noblesse oblige (d) karma

12. The emphasis in the novel on the primitive or elemental connects it strongly with all the following except which one: (a) T.S. Eliot's "The Wasteland" (b) Pablo Picasso's "Demoiselles of Avignon" (c) Arnold Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire" (d) Igor Stravinsky's "Le Sacre du Printemps"

13. The jazz drummer from the 1940’s through 1960’s who was most influenced by African culture in music and helped transmit the influence was: (a) Max Roach (b) Connie Kay (c) Philly Joe Jones (d) Chico Hamilton (e) Art Blakey

14. The famous jazz group with which the drummer, referred to in the immediately preceding question, was affiliated was: (a) the Count Basie orchestra (b) Woody Herman’s Thundering Herd (c) the Jazz Messengers (d) the Miles Davis Quintet (e) the Modern Jazz Quartet

15. Throughout the novel, there is an emphasis on the importance of which of the arts in this African culture, as represented by various motifs, from early on: (a) music (b) literature (c) visual art (d) all of the foregoing

16. A crucial subject dealt with in the novel, via its protagonist or main character, which connects it to Homer's Odyssey, the chapters on Abraham in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), Vergil's Aeneid, and so on, is the: (a) parent-child relationship (b) founding of a new nation (c) rise of technology (d) inevitable corruption of political systems

17. Through Unoka, his father, Okonkwo is most closely connected to the art of: (a) painting (b) dance (c) music (d) literature (e) none of the foregoing

18. The stylistic device that Achebe often uses to explain aspects and terms of native African culture is the: (a) factitive verb (b) appositive construction (c) elliptical clause (d) dangling modifier

19. In the novel, Achebe makes a special effort to show and emphasize, repeatedly, the world of: (a) musicians (b) painters (c) naturalists (d) European colonizers (e) women

20. Although trying to portray the dignity and worth of native African culture, Achebe does not avoid criticism of it, as in the treatment of all the following except which one: (a) drummers (b) twin infants (c) women (d) inter-village hostages

21. In Chapter 1 of the novel, Achebe suggests the importance in African culture of all the following components or forms of literature except which one: (a) satire (b) proverb (c) figurative language (d) parable

22. Chapter 1 helps to convey the subject or motif of striving through emphatic reference to: (a) weeding (b) wayfaring (c) wrestling (d) winding (e) wreathing

23. In Chapter 1, the two kinds of chalk markings on the wall of Unoka’s dwelling symbolize a conflict (recurrent in the novel) between: (a) monogamy and polygamy (b) honor and shame (c) urban and rural (d) Christianity and polytheism

24. In Chapter 2, as shown by the use of the term agbala, a general attitude toward women in the culture is: (a) positive (b) neutral (c) negative (d) none of the foregoing

25. In Chapter 2, with regard to Okonkwo’s status and prowess as demonstrated by his ceremonial drinking on important occasions, he: (a) really uses his head (b) puts his shoulder to the wheel (c) keeps his nose to the grindstone (d) lets his fingers do the walking

26. In Chapter 3, the detailed description of Okonkwo’s negotiation to become a sharecropper suggests that in the native culture the attitude toward hierarchy is: (a) positive (b) neutral (c) negative (d) none of the foregoing

27. In Chapter 3, the details described regarding kinds of crops grown suggest a stratification along the lines of: (a) ethnic origin (b) geography (c) large village vs. small village (d) gender difference

28. In Chapter 4, Okonkwo’s behavior toward a wife during Peace Week demonstrates Okonkwo’s: (a) innate sensitivity (b) lack of self control (c) basic humanitarianism (d) desire for education

29. In Chapter 4, the long description of Peace Week suggests an emphasis in indigenous religion on: (a) command of Nature (b) terror of Nature (c) harmony with Nature (d) flight from Nature (e) improvement of Nature

30. In Chapter 5, what family members do in preparation for the festival (par. 5 of the chapter) suggests absorption in the Igbo culture of: (a) music (b) visual art (c) literature (d) all of the foregoing

31. In Chapter 5, what is done in association with wrestling (e.g., pars. 37-38) suggests absorption in the Igbo culture of: (a) music (b) visual art (c) literature (d) all of the foregoing

32. In Chapter 5, feeling of Okonkwo about festivals in general, including the one described in the chapter, suggests that he is very: (a) broad-minded (b) carefree (c) hedonistic (d) repressed

33. In Chapter 6, in the description of the drums (pars. 2-3) is the suggestion within the culture of: (a) hierarchy (b) democracy (c) chaos (d) hedonism

34. In Chapter 7, what Ogbuefi Ezuda warns Okonkwo about, in relation to Ikemefuna (e.g., par. 15), recalls: (a) Genesis 4 (b) Genesis 22 (c) Genesis 26 (d) Genesis 37

35. In Chapter 7, the references to the harvest (yams) and twins represent a symbolic: (a) confirmation (b) concord (c) conversion (d) contrast

36. In Chapter 8, Achebe provides portrayal and information about all the following subjects (especially with reference to African culture) except which one: (a) schooling (b) hospitality (c) parenting (d) marriage

37. In Chapter 9, a main subject is how a culture responds to: (a) infidelity (b) immigration (c) illness (d) irreligion

38. In Chapter 9, what Ekwefi does, with regard to her children, shows the importance in African culture (and other cultures) of: (a) misbehavior (b) language (c) hygiene (d) schooling

39. In Chapter 10, the egwugwu shows that justice in the culture includes the sanctions of all of the following except which one: (a) sense of legality (b) tradition (c) supernatural (d) written documents

40. In Chapter 11, a connection between the long parable about the tortoise and the narration dealing with Chielo (as well as earlier references in the novel to the egwugwu) is the important concept in psychology, sociology, anthropology, and culture of: (a) transformation (b) superego or conscience (c) xenophobia (d) exogamy vs. endogamy

41. In Ch. 12 (pars. 1-14), food is shown to represent: (a) ceremonial occasions (b) social interactions (c) parental concern (d) sustenance (e) all of the foregoing

42. In Ch. 12, the figure of speech describing Obierika’s compound (“Obierika’s compound was . . . “; par. 15) is: (a) metaphor (b) simile (c) personification (d) understatement

43. The figure of speech referred to in the immediately preceding question is meant to suggest all of the following except which one: (a) negativity (b) sociability (c) productivity (d) authentic connection to the setting

44. In Ch. 12, as portrayed in the nighttime music (pars. 54-55; “As night fell, burning torches . . .”; last two paragraphs of the chapter), music is used for: (a) social evaluation (b) sexual suggestiveness (c) a and b (d) tranquilizing sleep aid

45. The connection between the subject matter of Ch. 13 and Ch. 12 is Achebe’s conscientious coverage of: (a) modern developments in Igbo literature (b) the foreign intrusion into Igbo culture (c) aesthetic criteria of Igbo visual arts (d) the life cycle within Igbo culture

46. The opening of Ch. 13 (first two paragraphs) emphasizes the use of which figure of speech or sound effect: (a) personification (b) onomatopoeia (c) hyperbole (d) rhyme

47. The opening of Ch. 13 referred to in the immediately preceding question emphasizes music and musical instruments in: (a) battle (b) communication (c) wooing (d) meditation

48. In the opening of Ch. 14 (par. 2), the term designating the country -- “He was taking his family of three wives and their children to seek refuge in . . . “ -- suggests the motif in the novel of: (a) male vs. female (b) upper class vs. lower class (c) white race vs. black race (d) Christian vs. non Christian

49. In the opening of Ch. 15 (pars. 5-7), Uchendu sees the historical trend of Igbo culture as: (a) favorably social (b) technologically oriented (c) unfavorably insular (d) morally improving

50. In Ch. 15, what Uchendu says about stories (“‘There is no story that . . . ‘” [par. 30]) suggests the principle of: (a) cultural lag (b) cultural diffusion (c) cultural progress (d) cultural relativism

51. In Ch. 16, Christianity represents all the following except which one: (a) conflict between cultural values, including social status and language (b) violent warfare, as in the Crusades (c) the father-son relationship, including father-son conflict (d) the power of music (e) Achebe’s criticism of twins murder in the indigenous culture

52. In Ch. 17, Uchendu’s idea of land donation for the Christian missionaries represents all of the following except which one: (a) a developing compassion for Caucasians (b) an elder’s humorous skepticism (c) the white intruders’ ignorance (d) an ironic backfire to the original intention

53. In Ch. 17, the thinking of Okonkwo about his son (last three paragraphs of the chapter; pars. 25-27) is flawed because of: (a) cannibalism (b) materialism (c) racism (d) sexism

54. In Ch. 18, what the minister, Mr. Kiaga, demands of the Osu, the outcasts, could be said to represent an ironic inversion of rules concerning: (a) jewelry (Gen. 41:42; Daniel 5: 7, 16, 29) (b) tatooing or body marking (Leviticus 19:28) (c) the law of the Nazarite (Numbers 6:1-21) (d) dietary rules and regulations (Leviticus 11:4-24)

55. In Ch. 18, how Okonkwo contrasts his new homeland’s vs. his old homeland’s opposition to Christians (including Okonkwo’s terms for the two homelands) relates to: (a) money (b) gender (c) literacy (d) polygyny

56. The opening of Ch. 19, especially par. 2, continues the novel’s emphasis on the symbolism of: (a) bargaining (b) harvesting (c) naming (d) trekking

57. In Ch. 19 (pars. 1-18), the banquet suggests or reveals all of the following except which one: (a) Okonkwo’s gratitude to kin (b) family unity in all contributing to the preparation (c) Okonkwo’s predisposition toward violence (d) practical division of labor (e) some hesitations or backslidings among family members

58. In the first part of Ch. 20 (especially pars. 8-14), a hint is conveyed that in a parallel-contrast to Nwyoe’s Oedipus complex is Enzima’s: (a) Clytemnestra complex (b) Electra complex (c) Iphigineia complex (d) Medea complex

59. In the first part of Ch. 20 (especially pars. 8-14), marriage is portrayed as mainly related to which concern or concerns: (a) patriotic (b) religious (c) romantic (d) socioeconomic

60. In Ch. 21, Achebe’s continual emphasis on the subject of language emerges in the idea that the growth of the new religion is connected to: (a) singing (b) literacy (c) preaching (d) symbols

61. In Ch. 21, the new name of Nwoye equates him symbolically to: (a) Ezeudu (b) Ikemefuna (c) Obierika (d) Uchendu

62. In the opening of Ch. 22, the symbolism of the emphatic reference to the surnames of the preceding minister and new Christian minister suggest that these men represent what component in their Anglo-European society: (a) the common (b) the special (c) the aristocratic (d) the unique

63. In Ch. 22, the reference to Mr. Brown as one who “saw things as black and white” (par. 1) draws on what figure or figures of speech: (a) metaphor (b) simile (c) pun (d) a and c

64. In several preceding chapters, as well as in Ch. 23 (and Ch. 24), occurs the reference or allusion to which European monarch: (a) Christina (b) Elizabeth II (c) George IV (d) Victoria (e) William IV

65. In Ch. 23, several references to court messengers suggests the idea of: (a) development of European-style aristocracy among the natives (b) the absence of laws in the native culture (c) inevitable corruption in a bureaucracy (d) respect for the tradition of European laws, extending all the way back to ancient Rome

66. In Ch. 24, Egonwanne represents, including for Okonkwo: (a) the worn out hero of previous wars (b) the powers of language and intellect (c) the impetuous youth bent on war (d) the politician aiming at absolute control of the tribes

67. In the description of the assembly in Ch. 24, background allusion or allusions to African music may be found in what reference or references: (a) call and response (b) idiophone (c) gong (d) all of the foregoing

68. In Ch. 25, part of the District Commissioner’s negative reaction when arriving at Okonkwo’s compound (especially pars. 1-8) is in response to: (a) music (b) odors (c) language (d) nudity

69. In Ch. 25, the manner of the death of Okonkwo: (a) ironically equates him to his father, Unoka (b) recapitulates his victories in war (c) foreshadows use of technology in killings carried out by Europeans (d) parallels his combat with The Cat (referred to in early in the novel)

70. In Ch. 25, what the District Commissioner ultimately does with his experience (last paragraph of the chapter) is Achebe’s satire on: (a) European plundering of natural resources of the natives’ country (b) European novels about Africa (c) African parochialism (d) the childish simplicity of African and Igbo culture