Things Fall Apart, Chapter 12 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. On his first trip to the shrine, what thought makes Okonkwo turn back home?

   • That Ekwefi had surely gone home ahead of him by another path
   • Correct answer: That the priestess might have chosen to go round the villages first
   • That Agbala would punish any man found waiting outside the shrine
   • That the night was too dark for anyone to find the cave entrance

   Only once he reached the shrine did it occur to him that Chielo might visit the villages first, so he returned home and waited.

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2. 2

   Question 2. How are the temporary cooking tripods at Obierika's compound made?

   • From three green poles lashed together with fresh palm fronds
   • From three iron rods that Obierika borrowed from the blacksmith
   • Correct answer: From three blocks of sun-dried earth with a fire made between them
   • From three large stones carried up by the children from the stream

   The women bring together three blocks of sun-dried earth and make a fire in their midst, setting tripods on every available space.

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3. 3

   Question 3. When Nwankwo asks whether a thief could play the goat-and-log trick single-handed, what does Obierika answer?

   • Correct answer: No; such thieves use medicine
   • Yes, if he is quick with a knife
   • No; the market elders help them
   • Yes, but only before cock-crow

   Obierika says the thieves use medicine, the same explanation he gives for the growth of Umuike's market itself.

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4. 4

   Question 4. After the loose cow is returned, why are Mgbogo and Udenkwo excused for not coming out?

   • Both were away at the Umuike market selling their yams that day
   • Both had been asked by Obierika's wife to watch over the cooking
   • Both are in mourning and may not leave their compounds for a month
   • Correct answer: Mgbogo has iba, and Udenkwo's child is under twenty-eight days

   The women check who failed to answer the cry, and the only two absences have accepted reasons: illness and a newborn child.

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5. 5

   Question 5. According to Ezelagbo, how did her husband's cow get loose?

   • A thief from a neighbouring village had cut through its rope
   • It broke its tether while the men were slaughtering the goats
   • Correct answer: One of the young children had opened the gate of the cow-shed
   • Her husband had driven it to graze beside his neighbours' crops

   Ezelagbo explains that a young child opened the cow-shed gate; her husband still pays the village's heavy fine at once.

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6. 6

   Question 6. What personal link does the oldest of the visiting in-laws mention in his speech?

   • Correct answer: His own mother came from the bride's family
   • He once wrestled Okonkwo and lost the match
   • His father sold Obierika the giant goat years ago
   • He fought beside Obierika in a war against Mbaino

   He says this is not the first time his people have come to marry from this family, because his mother was one of them.

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7. 7

   Question 7. What does the bride hold when she finally appears among the dancers?

   • A carved wooden stool to present to her new husband's old father
   • A small pot of palm-wine for the eldest man of the visitors
   • A fan like the one the old woman of Umuike's market carries
   • Correct answer: A cock in her right hand, which she presents to the musicians

   A loud cheer greets her, the other dancers make way, and she gives the cock to the musicians before she begins to dance.

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8. 8

   Question 8. What does Obierika's son Maduka do just before the relatives and friends begin to arrive?

   • He leads the giant goat around the compound for all to see
   • Correct answer: He sweeps the ground in front of his father's obi with a broom
   • He counts the pots of wine as the pot-bearers file inside
   • He sets burning torches on wooden tripods around the circle

   When the sun's heat softens, Maduka sweeps before the obi, and guests arrive as if they had been waiting for that signal.

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9. 9

   Question 9. Which of these events actually happen in Chapter 12?

   • Chielo returns Ezinma to Ekwefi's bed without saying a word.

     Happened

   • Ekwefi asks Chielo what Agbala said to Ezinma in the cave.

     Didn't happen

   • Okonkwo says the in-laws dare not bring fewer than thirty pots of wine.

     Happened

   • The in-laws bring only twenty pots of wine, and the hosts send them away.

     Didn't happen

   • The young men sing the praises of each elder in the circle.

     Happened

   • Okonkwo wrestles a young man from the suitor's village at the feast.

     Didn't happen

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10. 10

    Question 10. What does 'tethered' mean as used in: "the fattest of all was tethered to a peg near the wall of the compound"?

    • Cleaned and made ready for cooking
    • Fed with fresh grass and water
    • Correct answer: Tied up so it stays in one place
    • Hidden away from the guests' eyes

    Tethered means tied with a rope; the giant goat is kept fastened to a peg until it is presented alive to the in-laws.

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11. 11

    Question 11. What does 'exacted' mean as used in: "When the women had exacted the penalty they checked among themselves"?

    • Forgiven and then dropped
    • Correct answer: Demanded and collected
    • Argued over at length
    • Reduced to a fair sum

    To exact a penalty is to demand and obtain it; the cow's owner pays the village's heavy fine at once.

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12. 12

    Question 12. What does 'coiffure' mean as used in: "putting the last delicate touches of razor to her coiffure"?

    • Correct answer: Her styled hair
    • Her wedding cloth
    • Her painted face
    • Her brass anklets

    A coiffure is a hairstyle; the bride's attendants shape her hair with a razor and rub cam wood on her skin.

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