Things Fall Apart, Chapter 22 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Which images does Mr. Smith use in his sermons to describe the struggle between good and evil?

   • Lions and lambs, and light and the shadow
   • Correct answer: Sheep and goats, and wheat and tares
   • Seeds and stones, and rain and drought
   • Kings and slaves, and gold and the dust

   Mr. Smith speaks in his sermons about sheep and goats and about wheat and tares, biblical images of separating the good from the wicked.

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2. 2

   Question 2. How many times had the ogbanje child died and returned before it was mutilated?

   • Two times
   • Three times
   • Correct answer: Four times
   • Seven times

   The text says four times this child had run its evil round, so it was mutilated to discourage it from returning.

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3. 3

   Question 3. Why are the Christian women unable to go home after church on the day of the ceremony?

   • Their husbands have locked them out of their huts
   • The church elders have ordered them to stay and pray
   • Heavy rains have flooded the path to the village
   • Correct answer: The masked spirits are abroad for the earth goddess

   The annual worship of the earth goddess falls on a Sunday, and with the egwugwu abroad, the women cannot pass.

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4. 4

   Question 4. What does one of the egwugwu do just before Enoch tears off its mask?

   • Correct answer: It gives him a stroke of the cane
   • It curses him in the spirits' tongue
   • It seizes his Bible and throws it
   • It orders him to leave the village

   After Enoch's boast, the egwugwu come back and one gives him a good stroke of the cane; Enoch falls on him and tears off the mask.

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5. 5

   Question 5. Why can't Mr. Smith send for the District Commissioner after the unmasking?

   • The Commissioner refuses to involve himself in religion
   • The roads to Umuru are blocked by the clan's warriors
   • Correct answer: The Commissioner and his messengers have gone on tour
   • Okeke refuses to carry any message to the court

   Mr. Smith would have sent for the District Commissioner and his court messengers, but they had gone on tour the previous day.

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6. 6

   Question 6. When Ajofia asks if Mr. Smith knows him, why can't Okeke help his master answer?

   • Correct answer: Okeke comes from distant Umuru and is lost too
   • Okeke is too frightened of the spirits to speak
   • Okeke has already run back to the parsonage
   • Okeke refuses to speak for Mr. Smith any more

   Ajofia speaks in the language immortals use to men, and Okeke, a native of distant Umuru, is also at a loss.

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7. 7

   Question 7. Why does Ajofia say the spirits will not harm Mr. Smith himself?

   • They fear the soldiers the white man could call on
   • The Oracle has forbidden them to shed blood that day
   • They believe a white man's body cannot be harmed
   • Correct answer: They liked his brother who was with them before

   Ajofia says they liked Mr. Smith's brother who was with them before; he was foolish, but for his sake they will not harm Mr. Smith.

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8. 8

   Question 8. Which of these events actually occur in Chapter 22?

   • Mr. Smith suspends a young woman from the church over an ogbanje custom.

     Happened

   • Mr. Brown returns to Umuofia to calm the angry clan.

     Didn't happen

   • Enoch is hidden in the parsonage for a day or two.

     Happened

   • The egwugwu carry Mr. Smith out of the church compound.

     Didn't happen

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9. 9

   Question 9. Which of these details are true of the egwugwu's gathering and march?

   • Egwugwu come from neighbouring villages as well as Umuofia.

     Happened

   • Ordinary men and women march beside the spirits to the church.

     Didn't happen

   • A long stretch of the church's bamboo fence gives way before them.

     Happened

   • The spirits spare the church after hearing Okeke's message.

     Didn't happen

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10. 10

    Question 10. What does 'imminent' mean as used in: 'he had hoped that a holy war was imminent'?

    • Unlikely to ever come
    • Correct answer: About to happen soon
    • Already long finished
    • Fought only in secret

    Imminent means about to happen; Enoch hoped open war between church and clan was near.

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11. 11

    Question 11. What does 'composure' mean as used in: 'the onrush of the egwugwu was checked by the unexpected composure of the two men'?

    • Correct answer: Calmness under pressure
    • Anger shown openly
    • Weakness from hunger
    • Pride in one's office

    Composure is calm self-control; Mr. Smith and Okeke stand quietly before the spirits, briefly halting them.

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12. 12

    Question 12. What does 'guttural' mean as used in: 'Ajofia laughed in his guttural voice.'?

    • Soft and musical
    • High and squeaky
    • Correct answer: Harsh and throaty
    • Quiet and gentle

    Guttural describes a harsh sound from the back of the throat; the text compares Ajofia's laugh to rusty metal.

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