Things fall apart questions

THINGS FALL APART chapter 1 and 2 (through page 12) NAME:
Answer the following in complete sentences
1. Describe Okonkwo’s physical appearance and/or ability in two sentences.
2. Describe Okonkwo’s personality (a) and use a quote (and identify the page number) from the chapter
that illustrates it (b).
(a)
(b)
3. Why does the author say Okonkwo is “one of the greatest men of his time” (8)?
4. Why is Okonkwo ashamed of his father?
5. A proverb is a short clever saying that states a general truth or gives advice. For instance, Okonkwo
claims his father said, “Whenever he saw a deadman’s mouth, he saw the folly of not eating what one
had in his lifetime” (4).
6. Identify one superstition from chapter 2.
7. How does Okonkwo celebrate with the trophy he brings back from Umuofia’s latest war?
8. Why is the village of Umuofia threatening war with the village of Mbaino?
9. What are the two things that the village of Umuofia receives for compensation in order to avoid war?
10. Why is the village of Umuofia considered so powerful?

THINGS FALL APART chapter 2 (after page 11) and 3 NAME:
1. Who is Ikemefuna?
2. What is the most likely reason for Okonkwo to fear failure and weakness?
3. What are the two things that are implied by those who called Okonkwo’s father agbala?
(a) (b)
4. Is Okonkwo a kind man or an angry man (a)? Support your answer by either quoting an example
from the story or summarizing an example (b).
(a)
(b)
5. Nwakibie is a wealthy man. What three things that he has indicates his success?
6. A kola nut apparently has significant value. Identify another item that appears to have value (a) and
explain how you know this (b).
(a)
(b)
7. How do Nwakibie’s younger wives show Anasi, respect (a)? Why do they show her this respect?
(a)
(b)
8. What is the irony regarding Okonkwo planting his yam seeds early, versus the lazy men who planted
their yam seeds late the first season?
9. A proverb is a short clever saying that states a general truth or gives advice. Ogbuefi Idigo uses a
proverb in reference to the palm-wine tapper, Obiako, and says, “A toad does not run in the daytime
for nothing.” First, paraphrase (put in your own words) the proverb (a), and secondly, what is Ogbuefi
implying about Obiako (b)? (20) Write your responses on the back.

THINGS FALL APART chapter 4 and 5 NAME:
1. Fully describe the kind of man Okoye was, according to Okonkwo’s perception detailed in
chapters 1-3. Elaborate your answer in two vivid sentences.
2. Why is Okonkwo described as having “brusqueness” (a)? What does he do to illustrate this quality (b)?
(a)
(b)
3. Describe the contrast between Okonkwo’s feelings toward Ikemefuna and his actions toward him.
4. Hubris is the act of showing excessive pride toward or defiance of the gods. What does Okonkwo do
to show hubris in chapter 4?
5. How does Okonkwo demonstrate his angry character toward his sons?
6. According to the narrator, what would Okonkwo rather do than celebrating at a feast?
7. Why does Okonkwo fire his gun at one of his wives (a)? What does this tell you about him (b)?
(a)
(b)
8. Okonkwo explodes into rage when he claims someone killed their banana tree. What is the
underlying reason for his angry outburst and beating of his second wife?
9. Describe Ekwefi (a) and her relationship history (b).
(a)
(b)
10. After reading the first five chapters, the narrator’s claim on pg. 7, “Proverbs are the palm oil with
which words are eaten,” should be clearer to the reader. Explain how this proverb relates to the story.

1. Identify one superstition in chapter 6.
2. Summarize chapter 6 in two vivid sentences.
3. Who is Chielo (a)? What is the relationship she has with Ezinma (b)?
(a)
(b)
4. Why do you think Okonkwo is so reluctant to show anyone, including Ikemefuna and Nwoye,
any noticeable affection?
5. In most cultures, the appearance of a swarm of locusts often stirs fear among the people that their crops
will be eaten and destroyed by the pest. How does Umuofia react to the arrival of the locusts
and explain why.
6. What is the shocking announcement Ezeudu makes to Okonkwo (a)? What is the personal demand he
makes of Okonkwo (b)?
(a)
(b)
7. When Ikemefuna is told he is being sent home, he is both excited and saddened. Explain why for each
emotional state.
(a)
(b)
8. What is Chukwu?
9. Who is the one that appears to delivers the final blow with a machete that kills Ikemefuna?
10. When Ikemefuna runs to Okonkwo for safety, the narrator says that Okonkwo delivers the final blow
with his machete because, “He was afraid of being thought weak.” How did this make you feel about
him when you read this (a)? What does this indicate about Okonkwo’s character (b)?
Write your answers on the back.

1. Why should Okonkwo’s statement regarding his daughter Ezinma, “She should have been a boy,” be
considered high praise by him?
2. Who is Okonkwo insulting when he asks, “When did you become a shivering old woman?” (a) What is
the reason for this remark (b)?
(a)
(b)
3. Although Okonkwo says that his oldest son, Nwoye, “has too much of his mother in him,” both he and
his friend Obierika actually believe he acts more like another person. Identify this person.
4. How does Obierika feel about Okonkwo’s involvement in Ikemefuna’s execution (a)? Support your
answer with a quote and page number (b).
(a)
(b)
5. Clearly identify two cultural traditions described in pages 71-74.
(a)
(b)
6. How does Ezinma defy Okonkwo (a)? Describe her relationship with her mother (b).
(a)
(b)
7. What is the irony of Ekwefi naming two of her daughters Onwumbiko and Ozoemena?
8. What is the superstitious belief regarding ogbanje (a)? What does the medicine man do with the corpse
of one child that is believed to be ogbanje (b)?
(a)
(b)
9. Describe the method in which nine-year-old Ezinma leads the medicine man and the rest of the
villagers to find her iyi-uwa (a)? What does this suggest about her character (b)? Consider her actions
described earlier in the chapter. Write your answers on the back (4 points).

1. Who or what is the egwugwu (a)? What is this group’s purpose (b)?
(a)
(b)
2. What two observations are made by Okonkwo’s wives that suggest one of the egwugwu is their husband?
(a)
(b)
3. How does Evil Forest rebuke Uzowulu’s defense for his wife’s miscarriage?
4. What is Uzowulu’s punishment (a)? Do you think it’s fair? Explain your answer (b).
(a)
(b)
5. What is suggested regarding women and domestic violence by the spectator who says, “I don’t know
why such a trifle should come before the egwugwu”?
6. The people of Nigeria have a rich oral tradition of telling stories. In Ekwefi’s story, the Tortoise is described
as being cunning. What does he do to demonstrate this (a) and why is his shell covered in cracks (b)?
(a)
(b)
7. What does Ekwefi do to cause Chielo to warn, “Beware, woman, lest he strike you in anger”?
8. What causes Ekwefi to realize that Chielo was not going to the cave?
9. Why is it surprising for Okonkwo to arrive at the cave and tell Ekwefi to go home?
10. What is the reason for Ekwefi to have left her first husband? Consider what has happened in the
story just before the narrator recalls her past.

1. What is an uri?
2. What is a more accurate word than “medicine,” which is used to describe the method the market
of Umuike uses to attract customers?
3. What is the shocking story told to reveal the extent in which thievery and deception persists in
the market of Umuike?
4. The uri ceremony is one of three tribal customs and beliefs depicted in chapter 12. What are the two others?
(a)
(b)
5. Why is Ezuedu so highly respected and considered a great man?
6. What happens to Ezuedu (a) and how does it happen (b)?
(a)
(b)
7. How is Okonkwo’s crime considered by the narrator, male (a) and female (b)?
(a)
(b)
8. What is Okonkwo and his family’s full punishment?
9. Okonkwo’s friend, Obierika, asks, “Why should a man suffer so greivously for an offense he had
committed inadvertently?” What does this rhetorical question suggest about his feelings about
tribal traditions (a)? How does this differ from Okonkwo’s feelings toward tribal traditions (b)?
(a)
(b)
10. What other tribal tradition does Obierika question?

1. Why is Okonkwo and his family in Mbanta (a)? Why does Uchendu, Okonkwo’s uncle, say with some
relief, “It is a female ochu” (b)?
(a)
(b)
2. What are the “nuts of the water of heaven”?
3. Okonkwo is in despair regarding his chi. Explain why.
4. What appears to be the main purpose of the umuada?
5. What is Uchendu’s purpose in telling him about the wives and children he’s had whom have died?
6. What is an “iron horse” (a)? Who rode it into town?
(a)
(b)
7. Why was the man killed (a)? What happened to his “iron horse” (b)?
(a)
(b)
8. Uchendu tells a story about a child taking a duckling and then a chick. According to the story,
why is it okay for the child to take the chick over the duckling?
9. An analogy is a comparison between two things for the purpose of explanation or clarification.
What is the analogy Uchendu makes with the duckling story and why the tragedy befell the village of Abame?
10. What is foreshadowed by Obierika?

1. Fully explain what an efulefu is (a). Why are they described this way (b)?
(a)
(b)
2. What is an example of a significant cultural obstacle between the missionary and his interpreter, and
the villagers of Mbanta (a)? Give an example of the problem (b).
(a)
(b)
3. What is the main purpose of the missionaries (a)? What causes a “deep murmur” (145) (b)?
(a)
(b)
4. Why do some of the villagers mock the missionaries and take them less than seriously?
5. On page 147, the narrator says Nwoye, Okonkwo’s son, is drawn to Christianity because of the
“poetry of the new religion.” However, his interest is not merely caused by song, but by what the
missionaries said about the villagers’ religion and the emptiness Nwoye feels. Thus explain what two
things are actually drawing him toward becoming a Christian.
6. What are two reasons for village forests becoming “evil”?
7. Explain why that when the elders of the village gave the missionaries a plot of land in the Evil Forest
had the complete opposite effect as they had hoped.
8. Why were the villagers “certain about the doom” (150) that awaited the missionaries?
9. How does Okonkwo now feel about his son Nwoye (a)? Explain why using example (b)?
(a)
(b)
10. Although Okonkwo explores various reasons for his son becoming a “degenerate,” ultimately he
comes to one conclusion. Explain in your own words what he believes is the reason.

1. What happens when some of the Christian missionaries try to assert their beliefs openly among the clan?
2. What is the definition of an osu (a)? Why is a razor taboo to an osu (b)?
(a)
(b)
3. Give two examples as to how the royal python is respected and revered.
(a)
(b)
4. After the royal python is killed, the Mbanta elders and Okonkwo differ on the punishment. How does
Okonkwo’s choice of punishment differ from that of the elders (a)? How does Okonkwo feel about
the elders’ decision and explain why (b)?
(a)
(b)
5. What happens to the clansman who actually killed the python?
6. Explain the contrast between the names of his daughter, Nneka, and son, Nwofia, who were born in Mbanta.
7. Although Okonkwo sends money to his friend Obierka to build two huts before he is to return home,
why doesn’t he have him build his obi or the mud walls?
8. To what extent does Okonkwo go to thank Mbanta? Describe what he provides.
9. Why do you think he does this to the extreme that he does?
10. In a speech during the feast, one of the oldest members of the ummuna gives a warning. What is it
(a) and why does he see it as a problem (b)?
(a)
(b)

THINGS FALL APART chapter 20 NAME:
1. How does the proverb, “The clan was like a lizard; if it lost its tail it soon grew another,” relate to Okonk-
wo and the clan? Be specific and use at least two examples from the text.
2. What is perhaps the highest compliment Okonkwo makes regarding his daughter Ezinma (a)? What
does she do to cause him to praise her so highly, unlike his other daughters (b)?
(a)
(b)
3. What shocks Okonkwo regarding another Umuofian clansman and his titles?
4. The narrator says that the “court messengers were greatly hated in Umuofia because they were foreign-
ers and also arrogant and high-handed.” Using examples from the text, explain how they are arrogant and
high-handed (oppresssive, sometimes violent).
5. On the bottom of page 176, Okonkwo says, “He has put a knife on the things that held us together and
we have fallen apart.” Correlate (establish a connection between) this statement and the title of the book,
which should essentially explain the overall meaning of the story.

THINGS FALL APART chapter 21 (page 178-186) NAME:
1. Use specific examples tot explain how the missionaries’ “lunatic religion” appears to have a “method in
the overwhelming madness.”
2. How does the reader know that Enoch has great “zeal” regarding Christianity?
3. What does Mr. Brown try to convince Akunna of regarding the gods beneath Chukwu (a)? What is
Akunna’s defense of that belief (b)?
(a)
(b)
4. Mr. Brown comes to a realization that he could not simply reason with the clan to convert to
Christianity. What are the two ways he concludes would be most effective in changing the clan’s
opinion (a)? Also, what argument does he promote to strike a sense of fear into the clan who don’t
initially embrace his new institution (b)?
(a)
(b)
5. Do you think the Umuofian’s are better or worse off with the European influence? Use at least one
specific example to support your claim.
6. How does Mr. Smith feel about the importance of having a large congregation versus a small
congregation (a)? What is the most important feature regarding his favored style of congregation (b)?
(a)
(b)

THINGS FALL APART chapter 22 and 23 (page 186-194) NAME:
1. At the bottom of page 186, the narrator says, “Enoch had killed an ancestral spirit...” Explain what
happened (a) and elaborate on what Enoch actually killed (b).
(a)
(b)
2. What is it that Enoch hopes for which strongly indicates that he is a religious zealot?
3. What is the main reason that the ugwugwu decide not to kill the Christian missionary, Mr. Smith?
4. There is a clear cultural divide between Mr. Smith and the Umouofians. What does one of the
ugwugwu say which illustrates the ignorance that both parties suffer from?
5. In order to cleanse the village of the desecration caused by both Enoch and Mr. Smith, what does the
village do to both of them?

THINGS FALL APART chapter 23-24 (page 192-200) NAME:
1. Do you think that the District Commissioner had planned to actually listen and base his judgement
on the statements made for the villagers’ acts at the end of the previous chapter (22)? Give one
specific reason to base your answer.
2. Explain the irony of the District Commissioner’s claim that, “We have brought a peaceful
administration to you and your people so you may be happy.”
3. Although the District Commissioner levied a fine of two hundred cowries against the villagers for
their crime, what happens later that further illustrates the apparent corruption and lack of real justice
the missionaries represent?
4. What is the narrator suggesting about the general atmosphere of the Umuofians when he uses the
simile, the villagers were “like a startled animal with ears erect, sniffing the silent, ominous air and
not knowing which way to run”?
5. When the men return after being released when their fine was paid, the narrator describes the six
men as having “heavy and fearsome looks.” Do they look this way because they are embarrassed or
because they are angry (a)? How do you know this? Use textual evidence to support your answer (b)?
(a)
(b)

THINGS FALL APART chapter 24-25 (page 200-209) NAME:
1. According to Okonkwo, what is the most significant element which characterizes the time “when men
were men”?
2. Okika, one of the six men who were arrested and beaten earlier, speaks to the gathered crowd
regarding their course of action toward the white men. In his speech, he implies that there may be
some who don’t want to fight the “strangers,” but says, “[We] must do it.” What is the reason he
admits that some would be against such a fight?
3. When the District Commissioner’s head messenger visits the gathering and announces that this
meeting is ordered to stop, what is Okonkwo’s response (a)? What is the response of the others at the
meeting (b)?
4. What has happened to Okonkwo in the final chapter?
5. Why do you think Okonkwo makes this decision?
6. Why can’t the villagers treat Okonkwo with respect (a)? What feelings does Obierika show regarding
this issue (b)?
(a)
(b)
7. How does the District Commissioner feel about the Nigerians?
8. Give two reasons to support your response to question 6.
(a)
(b)
9. Why is the Commissioner’s claim regarding the amount of text he could devote to Okonkwo’s story ironic?
10. Is the title for the Commissioner’s book appropriate? Explain your answer.

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