View a FREE sample

This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 1 (Parts VI-IX): "The Language of African Literature" .

Multiple Choice Questions

1. With whom did Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o collaborate in the drafting of the playscript for Ngaahika Ndeenda?
(a) Birago Diop.
(b) Martin Carter.
(c) Amos Tutuola.
(d) Ngũgĩ wa Miriĩ.

2. When was there a declaration of a state of emergency over Kenta that led to all schools being run by the colonial regime?
(a) 1959.
(b) 1952.
(c) 1949.
(d) 1965.

3. What language did Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o speak growing up?
(a) Hausa.
(b) Gĩkũyũ.
(c) Ashanti.
(d) Bantu.

4. For how long was Gakaara wa Wanjaũ imprisoned for his writings in Gĩkũyũ?
(a) 8 years.
(b) 6 years.
(c) 10 years.
(d) 13 years.

5. What does "Maitũ Njugĩra" translate to in English?
(a) Mother Sing for Me.
(b) Devil on the Cross.
(c) A Meeting in the Dark.
(d) I Will Marry When I Want.

Short Answer Questions

1. In his Introduction, the author states that the theme of this book is taken from a poem by what Guyanese poet?

2. When did Gakaara wa Wanjaũ earn the Noma Award for his secret diary he kept while in political detention?

3. What does the Gĩkũyũ word "ngurukuhĩ" translate to in English?

4. Where did the capitalist powers of Europe carve up the continent of Africa into different colonies in the late 1800s?

5. How many years of involvement had Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o spent writing literature in Englis when the author began writing in Gĩkũyũ?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 229 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample