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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Since when does the author state imperialism has affected the lives of even the peasants in the remotest corners of our countries in his Introduction?
(a) 1859.
(b) 1896.
(c) 1884.
(d) 1865.

2. In Chapter 1, Part IV, the author states that "Language, any language, has a dual character: it is both a means of communication and" what (13)?
(a) "A carrier of history."
(b) "A product of necessity."
(c) "A carrier of culture."
(d) "A symbol of unity."

3. When did Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o begin writing in Gĩkũyũ?
(a) 1973.
(b) 1975.
(c) 1977.
(d) 1982.

4. When was the Bata shoe factory established?
(a) 1959.
(b) 1944.
(c) 1962.
(d) 1938.

5. What does the word "axiomatic" mean, as used in Chapter 1, Part I?
(a) Mean-spirited.
(b) Subjugating.
(c) Self-evident.
(d) Arbitrary.

6. What is the name of the secret diary that Gakaara wa Wanjaũ kept while in political detention?
(a) Ngaahika Ndeenda.
(b) Caitaani mũtharaba-Inĩ.
(c) Matigari ma Njiruungi.
(d) Mwandĩki wa Mau Mau Ithaamĩrioinĩ.

7. On what date did the Kenya government ban any further performances of Ngaahika Ndeenda?
(a) November 16, 1977.
(b) October 2, 1977.
(c) September 12, 1976.
(d) March 30, 1977.

8. In what book of the author's did he narrate the fate of the production of Maitũ Njugĩra?
(a) Penpoints, Gunpoints, and Dreams.
(b) Barrel of a Pen.
(c) Homecoming.
(d) Petals of Blood.

9. About how many children did Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o's father have?
(a) 22.
(b) 28.
(c) 16.
(d) 13.

10. How many wives did Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o's father have?
(a) Four.
(b) Five.
(c) Two.
(d) Three.

11. What dance is despicted in the scene from Ngaahika Ndeenda that is presented in Chapter 2, Part V?
(a) The Moribayasa dance.
(b) The Mwomboko dance.
(c) The Aduma dance.
(d) The Kpanlogo dance.

12. Who are the peasant and his wife awaiting the arrival of in the opening of Ngaahika Ndeenda?
(a) Obi and Jalaa.
(b) Kĩoi and Jezebel.
(c) Mĩriĩ and Awli.
(d) Gakaara and Watu.

13. When did Professor Micere Mũgo give a speech in Nairobi entitled "Written Literature and Black Images"?
(a) 1969.
(b) 1973.
(c) 1975.
(d) 1981.

14. What was the first school that Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o attended?
(a) Luganda.
(b) Kamaandura.
(c) Khoekhoe.
(d) Northern Ndebele.

15. What does the word "vacillating" mean as used in Chapter 1, Part VI?
(a) Escalating.
(b) Fluctuating.
(c) De-escalating.
(d) Failing.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to the author in Chapter 1, Part I, as an effect of colonization, Africa was defined in the languages of Europe. What three languages does he describe?

2. What was the play The Black Hermit meant to celebrate?

3. What was the elitist institution for Africans in colonial Kenya where Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o attended high school?

4. The author says in Chapter 1, Part IX, "A writer who tries to communicate the message of revolutionary unity and hope in the languages of the people becomes" what (30)?

5. When does the author describe attending a historic meeting of African writers in Chapter 1, Part II?

(see the answer keys)

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