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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does Unkona's neighbor, Okoye, visit him?

2. How does Ekwefi make the medicine she hopes would cure Ezinma?

3. What are the things that Okonkwo fears most?

4. How does Ezinma, the daughter of Okonkwo's second wife, bring fire to Nwoye's mother's hut?

5. One night, the storytelling of Okonkwo 's wives and children stops because the priestess, Chielo is shouting in a high-pitched voice. What does she tell Okonkwo?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain how Ikemefuna is a good friend to Obiageli on the day of the New Yam Festival.

2. Why don't the people want an even wrestling match, ending in a tie?

3. Explain why sharecropping is a very difficult way to get ahead for Okonkwo, and how it impacts his parents and sisters.

4. Evaluate Okonkwo's reputation in the nine villages of Umuofia.

5. Explain what role the egwuwu, the ancestral spirits of the clan, has in the public trials of the nine villages of the clan.

6. Describe how Okonkwo goes against his nature when he goes to find Ikwefi at the sacred cave.

7. Compare the stories of men to the stories of women in Umuofia.

8. Compare the differences in the attitudes of the people of Umuofia with regard to a dark night and a moonlit night.

9. Do you think Okonkwo is justified in being ashamed of his father? Explain why.

10. Summarize the role of the women during the New Yam Festival.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast the role of women in the novel with the role of women in today's American society. Cite specific examples from the novel, detailing women's jobs and responsibilities.

Essay Topic 2

While waiting for Ezinma to be released from the cave of Agbala, the Oracle of the Hills and the Caves, she has a flashback.

1) What does this flashback reveal about her relationship with Okonkwo?

2) How does it compare with their present relationship?

Essay Topic 3

1) Throughout the novel, Okonkwo is afraid of being like his father. Describe the accomplishments Okonkwo achieves in his lifetime that makes him different from his father.

2) Explain why Okonkwo's final act turns his reputation into everything he feared in life.

(see the answer keys)

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