Things Fall Apart, Chapter 6 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Who sits on stools at the wrestling ground while most other people stand?

   • Correct answer: The elders and grandees of the village
   • The wrestlers waiting for their turn
   • The young women who sing the praise songs
   • The priestess and the village judges

   The elders and grandees sit on their own stools, brought by their young sons or slaves; Okonkwo is among them.

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2. 2

   Question 2. What purpose do the boys' bouts serve before the real matches?

   • They decide which team will choose its challenger first
   • They let the judges warm up before the hard matches
   • Correct answer: They merely set the scene for the main contest
   • They give the elders time to reach their stools

   The boys of fifteen or sixteen are not the real wrestlers; the narrator says they merely set the scene.

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3. 3

   Question 3. What does Chielo ask Ekwefi soon after they recognize each other?

   • Whether Ezinma has come to watch the wrestling
   • Correct answer: Whether Okonkwo nearly killed her with his gun
   • Whether Okonkwo will wrestle again this year
   • Whether Ekwefi brought beancakes from the market

   Chielo has heard the news and asks whether it is true that Okonkwo nearly killed Ekwefi with his gun.

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4. 4

   Question 4. How old does Ekwefi say Ezinma is?

   • About six years old
   • About twelve years old
   • About eight years old
   • Correct answer: About ten years old

   Ekwefi says Ezinma is about ten, past the age of six that Chielo calls the dangerous time for a child.

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5. 5

   Question 5. Why does the crowd wonder who will win the leaders' match this year?

   • Correct answer: Neither leader managed to throw the other the year before
   • Okafo was injured badly in the previous year's contest
   • Ikezue had never before lost a match in nine villages
   • The judges had promised to choose a winner this time

   Last year neither Okafo nor Ikezue threw the other, even though the judges let the contest run longer than usual.

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6. 6

   Question 6. What mistake costs Ikezue the final match?

   • Letting go of Okafo's right hand at the start
   • Trying the ege style too early in the bout
   • Correct answer: Dropping to one knee to try to fling Okafo over his head
   • Waiting too long until the judges stepped in

   The desperate Ikezue goes down on one knee to throw Okafo backwards, a sad miscalculation that lets Okafo swing a leg over his head.

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7. 7

   Question 7. What happens to Okafo right after his victory?

   • The elders present him with a new title
   • Correct answer: His supporters carry him home shoulder high
   • He challenges the leader of the next village
   • He is given a pot of palm-wine by the judges

   Okafo's supporters sweep him off his feet and carry him home shoulder high as the young women sing his praise.

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8. 8

   Question 8. What do the comparisons of the air to a drumskin and a tightened bow chiefly convey?

   • That the drummers are exhausted by their long work
   • That a storm is gathering over the playground
   • That the elders disapprove of the noisy crowd
   • Correct answer: How the crowd's tension rises and falls with the drums

   The air relaxes as if water were poured on a drumskin during the break, then grows tense like a bow when the drumming resumes.

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9. 9

   Question 9. What does 'frenzy' mean as used in: 'The drums rose to a frenzy.'?

   • A slow, solemn beat
   • Correct answer: A state of wild excitement
   • A sudden and complete silence
   • A gentle, steady rhythm

   A frenzy is wild, uncontrolled excitement; the drums peak as the teams dance into the circle.

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10. 10

    Question 10. What does 'taut' mean as used in: 'The air, which had been stretched taut with excitement, relaxed again.'?

    • Loose and relaxed
    • Warm and humid
    • Correct answer: Stretched tight
    • Heavy with smoke

    Taut means stretched tight; the excitement held the air tense until the drummers paused.

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11. 11

    Question 11. What does 'miscalculation' mean as used in: 'It was a sad miscalculation.'?

    • A clever trick that surprises an opponent
    • An unfair move forbidden by the judges
    • A sudden loss of physical strength
    • Correct answer: A mistaken judgment of what will happen

    A miscalculation is a wrong judgment; Ikezue expects his move to work, but it gives Okafo the opening to win.

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12. 12

    Question 12. Which of these events actually occur in Chapter 6?

    • A boy from Okonkwo's own household wins one of the opening bouts.

      Didn't happen

    • The drummers rest, fan themselves and eat kola nuts.

      Happened

    • Ekwefi tells Chielo that the story of the shooting is true.

      Happened

    • Okonkwo steps into the circle to wrestle one of the twelve matches.

      Didn't happen

    • The judges stop five bouts because the wrestlers are equally matched.

      Happened

    • Ikezue throws Okafo using the clever ege style.

      Didn't happen

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