Things Fall Apart, Chapter 5 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. How close is the New Yam Festival when Okonkwo's anger finally bursts out?

   • One day away
   • Correct answer: Three days away
   • Seven days away
   • A full month away

   The narrator says the festival was now only three days away when Okonkwo's suppressed anger found an outlet.

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2. 2

   Question 2. Why is Okonkwo restless in the days before the feast?

   • He fears his in-laws will not come to the festival
   • He has too few yams left to feed his many guests
   • He is still angry with the priest of the earth goddess
   • Correct answer: He dislikes sitting idle and would rather be farming

   Okonkwo is always uncomfortable sitting around waiting for a feast and would be much happier working on his farm.

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3. 3

   Question 3. How do Okonkwo's other wives respond while he beats Ekwefi?

   • Correct answer: They plead with him timidly from a safe distance
   • They pull him away and take Ekwefi to her hut
   • They run to fetch the village elders for help
   • They join in scolding Ekwefi for cutting the tree

   Neither dares to interfere beyond an occasional, tentative plea that it is enough, spoken from a reasonable distance.

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4. 4

   Question 4. What does Ezinma decide her twitching upper eyelid means?

   • She is going to cry before the day ends
   • A visitor from her mother's village is coming
   • Correct answer: She will see the wrestling match
   • Her father will take her to the stream

   Ekwefi says a twitching top eyelid means she will see something, and Ezinma works out that it must be the wrestling match.

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5. 5

   Question 5. Why does Nwoye's mother hand Ezinma the fan?

   • She wants the fire lit before the drums begin
   • She thinks Ezinma's breath will put the fire out
   • She does not want smoke to reach the new yams
   • Correct answer: She warns that blowing on it will hurt Ezinma's eyes

   Seeing Ezinma blow on the fire, she says Ezinma will blow her eyes out and tells her to use the fan.

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6. 6

   Question 6. Why does Ikemefuna give Nwoye's younger brothers a stern look?

   • To stop them from blaming him for the broken pot
   • Correct answer: To keep them from exposing how Obiageli broke her pot
   • To stop them complaining about the heavy waterpots
   • To hurry them home before the wrestling drums began

   The brothers are about to tell the true story, that Obiageli broke the pot while showing off, when Ikemefuna's look makes them hold their peace.

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7. 7

   Question 7. What does Okonkwo's reaction to the wrestling drums suggest about him?

   • That he secretly dreads losing to the neighboring village
   • That the music calms the anger he felt earlier that week
   • Correct answer: That wrestling stirs his deep desire to conquer and dominate
   • That he misses the years when his own father wrestled

   The drums fill him with fire, and he trembles with the desire to conquer and subdue, showing how strength and victory drive him.

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8. 8

   Question 8. How is the New Yam Festival celebrated in Okonkwo's household after the shooting?

   • Correct answer: It is celebrated with great joy despite the incident
   • It is cancelled while the village elders judge Okonkwo's act
   • Ekwefi returns to her own village for the feast
   • The in-laws refuse to come after hearing the news

   In spite of the incident, the festival is celebrated with great joy, with in-laws, palm-wine and eating until night.

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9. 9

   Question 9. What does 'prowess' mean as used in: 'a great man whose prowess was universally acknowledged'?

   • Great wealth in yams and land
   • Correct answer: Exceptional skill and strength
   • A loud and violent temper
   • Honor earned through clan titles

   Prowess is outstanding skill or strength; Okonkwo's fame as a wrestler and warrior is known to all, even though he is no hunter.

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10. 10

    Question 10. What does 'report' mean as used in: 'there was a loud report accompanied by the wail of his wives and children'?

    • A spoken announcement of news
    • A cry of pain from the wounded
    • Correct answer: The bang of a gunshot
    • An official account to the elders

    Here a report is the loud sound of a gun firing, the moment Okonkwo pulls the trigger.

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11. 11

    Question 11. What does 'deft' mean as used in: 'in one deft movement she lifted the pot from the fire'?

    • Slow and careful
    • Clumsy and hurried
    • Painful and awkward
    • Correct answer: Quick and skillful

    Deft means quick and skillful; Ekwefi lifts the boiling pot with practiced ease, which amazes Ezinma.

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12. 12

    Question 12. Which of these events actually occur in Chapter 5?

    • Okonkwo's wives scrub the hut walls with red earth and paint patterns on them.

      Happened

    • Okonkwo's shot grazes Ekwefi's arm as she climbs the barn wall.

      Didn't happen

    • In-laws arrive from three surrounding villages, each party bringing palm-wine.

      Happened

    • Ezinma breaks her waterpot on the way back from the stream.

      Didn't happen

    • Nkechi brings Okonkwo the dish cooked by his third wife.

      Happened

    • Okonkwo lets Ezinma carry his chair to the wrestling ground.

      Didn't happen

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