2. Why do the attendants bring an eagle?
(a) To take out the eyes of the drinkard and his wife.
(b) To kill it and eat it.
(c) Because it sings a special song.
(d) To ride on it to the next town.

3. What does the Termite House look like?
(a) A wooden chest.
(b) A maze.
(c) A market place.
(d) A cream colored umbrella.

4. The "half-bodied baby" commands his mother to _________.
(a) Carry him in her arms.
(b) Carry him on her back.
(c) Carry him on her head.
(d) Carry him on her shoulders.

5. What important question does the king of "Unreturnable-Heaven's Town" ask the drinkard and his wife?
(a) "How long will you stay here?"
(b) "Where did you come from?"
(c) "Are you gods?"
(d) "Where is my sister?"

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does the drinkard cut down a tree when he and his wife reach the river?

2. What does wife forget in the ashes?

3. What does the king command his attendants to do to the drinkard and his wife?

4. What does "Zurrjir" mean?

5. Where does the "half-bodied baby" appear?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the palm-wine drinkard's relationship with his friends at the beginning of the story.

2. Who is "Faithful-Mother"? What is her responsibility?

3. The drinkard describes the inhabitants of "Unreturnable-Heaven's Town" as "backwards." What does he mean by this? Elaborate.

4. When following and spying on Skull, what does the drinkard turn himself into and why?

5. During "To Travel by Air," why does the drinkard turn himself into a bird and fly his wife to their next destination?

6. In the first town that the palm-wine drinkard visits, he meets an old man who gives him two challenges. How does the drinkard complete these tasks and what does this say about his human and non-human abilities?

7. Comment on the parent-child relationship, during "On the Way to an Unknown Place." What is significant about the characters' roles?

8. Comment on how the drinkard deals with his insatiable son.

9. Describe "Laugh."

10. What lesson can be learned from the little creature on Wraith-Island who was not picked by the King to help clear the corn fields?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 965 words
(approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page)

View a FREE sample