Commonwealth Literature (Option B) Question bank with Answers

Question Bank 36 Pages

Mizoram University

English

Contributed by

Prajwal Hallale

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
Semester VI, Paper 12 B (ENG/VI/CC/12 B)
Commonwealth Literature (Option B)

UNIT-I: A BEND IN THE RIVER- V.S.NAIPAUL

I. Multiple Choice Questions:

1. In the novel, A Bend in the River, Salim starts an affair with the wife of Raymond
named
a) Yvette
b) Georgina
c) Zabeth
d) Shoba
2. Salim, starts narrating a story in the interior of an unnamed African country of what
river?
a) The bend of the long river
b) The bend of the dead river
c) The bend of the great river
d) The bend of the black river
3. When Salim finds out that Raymond was the „Big man‟s white man‟ why was he
thrilled?
a) Because Salim thinks that Raymond could help him
b) Because Salim wants to be closer to Raymond‟s wife
c) Because Salim thinks Raymond could take him away
d) Because Salim thinks Raymond to be the highest power in the land
4. What does the river symbolise in The Bend in the River
a) Lifeline of the people
b) A connection between the past and present
c) The drinking water shared by the people
d) None of the above
5. Who is the „big man‟ in the novel, A Bend in the River?
a) Raymond
b) Nazruddin
c) The President
d) Théotime
6. Why does Salim feel sorry for the president after returning from Europe
a) The President was attacked by the media in Europe
b) He knows the future he has seen in Europe could not compare to the President‟s
promise for Africa
c) Salim likes the President and does not want to see him suffer
d) The President was not as good a leader as the one in Europe.
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7. Salim travels to London to visit
a) Nazruddin
b) Winterbottom
c) Soraya
d) Ezeulu
8. What is the name of the British Colonial policy Winterbottom is tasked with
enforcing?
a) Direct Rule
b) Development
c) Indirect Rule
d) Protectorship
9. „A Bend in the River‟ was published in
a) 1979
b) 1980
c) 1981
d) 1982
10. Salim has a love affair with a women named
a) Annie.
b) Yvette
c) Florence
d) Isabella

11. „A Bend in the River‟ is set in post-colonial
a) Europe
b) America
c) Africa
d) None of the above
12. “The New Domain” covers several years during which the country is in a period of
a) Economic prosperity
b) Social prosperity
c) Political prosperity
d) Religious prosperity
13. Salim is both the protagonist and the first-person
a) Business-man
b) Hero
c) President
d) Narrator
14. Salim gets involved in the illegal smuggling of
a) Ivory and gold
b) Gold and silver
c) Gold and copper
d) Ivory and copper
15. What ethnicity was Soraya?
a) Muslim
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b) Afrikaner
c) Dutch
d) British
16. What was wrong with Mahesh's engraving machine that makes signs?
a) The machine was too complicated for him to operate.
b) It was impossible to assemble.
c) He could not get the raw materials to make the signs.
d) No one needed signs.
17. What is Indar's moment of insight?
a) He understands that he was meant to write the African story.
b) He realizes he must return to his roots to be happy.
c) He knows without a doubt that he belongs to himself alone and would surrender his
manhood to nobody.
d) He sees he has not marketed himself correctly.
18. How does the purser on the steamer show that he does not respect the President in A Bend
in the River?
a) He speaks French which the President has banned.
b) He sneers every time the President is mentioned.
c) He puts a cloth over the President's portrait.
d) He sits down when the national anthem is played.
19. What confidence does Indar impart to Salim?
a) The Domain is about to become an officer training school for the army.
b) The Domain is going to close for lack of funds.
c) The President is going to replace Raymond at the Domain.
d) The President is going his own way and no longer needs Raymond's help.
20. Why does Salim think Yvette married the much older Raymond?
a) She must have had an unhappy homelife.
b) She must have been very lonely.
c) She must have thought he was extraordinary.
d) She must have thought he would be rich.
21. Who is the surprise visitor to Salim's store?
a) Zabeth's husband
b) The President
c) Indar
d) Salim's brother
22. What amazes Salim about Raymond?
a) He does not seem to love Yvette.
b) He has no ambition to leave the country.
c) He works on plans to overthrow the President.
d) His position with the President is shaky but he remains loyal.
23. What does the President in A Bend in the River do at a ruined suburb?
a) He builds a large complex.
b) He builds a shoe factory.
c) He builds a new barracks for his army.
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d) He levels it and makes a park.
24. Why does Metty inform on Salim's black market activities?
a) Because Salim refused him money to leave the town
b) Because Salim takes Theo's side againt him
c) Because Metty has always hated Salim
d) Because Salim did not bring back presents from Europe
25. What do the townspeople in A Bend in the River speculate about the new complex?
a) That it will be a munitions factory.
b) That it will be a model farm and agriculture school.
c) That it will be a large hospital.
d) That it will be the President's winter palace.
26. Why was Indar turned down at the Indian High Commission?
a) He is not a Hindu.
b) He does not speak Hindi.
c) He is too young.
d) He is not a citizen of India.
27. What has become of Kareisha, Nazruddin's daughter whom Salim feared he might have to
marry?
a) Kareisha has left the family and moved to America.
b) Kareisha is married to a British man and has four children.
c) Kareisha has gone to India and will marry a doctor.
d) Kareisha, Nazruddin's daughter, has become a pharmacist.
28. What is the difference between Salim and Indar as they walk to the river after the party?
a) Indar sees the beauty of the place while Salim sees only garbage.
b) Salim is confused, but Indar is sure of himself.
c) Indar wants to meditate but Salim wants to talk.
d) Salim is exhilarated by the evening but Indar is edgy.
29. What does Shoba do when she returns?
a) She announces that she is pregnant.
b) She goes into isolation.
c) She opens a beauty salon.
d) She refuses to speak to Mahesh.
30. What does Indar mean when he tells Salim he's where it's at?
a) Where everything will come to an end.
b) Where these is the peace of obscurity.
c) Where big things are happening.
d) Where the new revolution will start.
31. Why is Salim released from detention to fly back to his home?
a) His papers are all in order.
b) He will be interrogated when he gets back to the town.
c) Ferdinand comes to his rescue.
d) The official keeping Salim has held up the flight and gets reprimanded.
32. Reading some of Raymond's articles, what does Salim conclude?
a) That Raymond will win the Nobel Prize for literature
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b) That Raymond's book will be a best seller
c) That Raymond is a genius as a writer
d) That Raymond had never visited the places he wrote about
33. What word does Indar say kept his spirits high when he first arrived in London?
a) "University" seemed like a magic word, and Indar thought a magic life awaited
him.
b) "Opportunity" was Indar's magic word in London.
c) "Education" was the word that meant the most to him.
d) "Career" was the magic word that drove him to study hard.
34. In the light of day, how does Salim see Yvette's and Raymond's house?
a) It is much more lavish than he remembered it.
b) It is different in the sunlight; everything seems faded and worn.
c) The furniture has all been removed.
d) The carpet has holes worn in it.
35. What is Indar doing in the town?
a) He is just passing through.
b) He has decided to follow Salim's example.
c) He is taking over the lycee.
d) He is a guest lecturer at the Domain.
36. What has happened to the European statues in the Capital city in A Bend in the River?
a) They have been polished to look good.
b) They have all been moved to the President's palace.
c) They have been melted down for the copper.
d) They have been replaced with statues of African tribesmen.
37. What is the significance of Ferdinand's question about religion?
a) It shows that politics and religion will always be at odds.
b) It shows that young Africans are looking for a way out of their old religions.
c) It shows some of the struggle of socializing men with tribal roots into citizens of a
modern state.
d) It shows that Ferdinand is thinking of becoming a magician like Zabeth.
38. What surprising action does the President take for the town in A Bend in the River?
a) He waives taxes for the town.
b) He is disbanding the Youth Guard in Salim's area.
c) He plans to completely renovate the town.
d) He declares martial law in the town.
39. Why is Salim jailed?
a) Because he cannot pay the $4000 fine.
b) Because he defamed the President
c) Because he beat up Metty
d) Because he refused to work for Theo
40. Why do people like to go to the Bigburger in A Bend in the River?
a) Mahesh has young girls working there.
b) They develop a taste for French fried potatoes.
c) To get inside an air conditioned building where they do not smell the garbage.
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d) There is no place else to go.

KEY:

1. A
2. C
3. D
4. B
5. C
6. B
7. A
8. C
9. A
10. B
11. C
12. A
13. B
14. A
15. A
16. C
17. A
18. D
19. C
20. C
21. D
22. A
23. A
24. B
25. D
26. D
27. D
28. B
29. C
30. D
31. D
32. A
33. B
34. D
35. D
36. C
37. B
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38. B
39. C
40. C

II. Fill in the Blanks:

1. Salim had purchased his shop from a friend named, ___________
2. In the peace that follows the uprising, there were new businesses and government
have come to town and Salim says, „Now we were in the period of _______.‟
3. _____________ works for Salim in the shop.
4. Salim travels to ________________ to visit Nazruddin.
5. Salim was released from _____ because the official detaining him was reprimanded
for holding up the line.
6. The purser on the steamer show his disdain for the President by speaking _____,
which the President has banned.
7. The President in A Bend in the River builds a large ____ in a ruined suburb.
8. ______ informs the authorities on Salim‟s black market activities.
9. _____ remains loyal to the President in A Bend in the River despite his shaky position.
10. Indar‟s spirit was kept up when he thought about the word ____ because he believed a
magic life awaited him.
11. Indar is a guest lecturer at the _____
12. Kareisha, Nazruddin‟s daughter became a _____
13. Salim was jailed because he was unable to pay the fine of _____ dollars.
14. A Bend in the River is written by _____
15. Salim has an affair with _____, Raymond‟s wife.
16. The President in A Bend in the River is often known as ______
17. Salim has a love affair with a woman named _____
18. Soraya‟s ethnicity is _____
19. The „Big Man‟ in the novel A Bend in the River is _____
20. Salim was jailed for beating up ______

KEY:
1. Nazruddin
2. Boom
3. Metty
4. London
5. Detention
6. French
7. Complex
8. Metty
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9. Raymond
10. University
11. Domain
12. Pharmacist
13. 4000
14. V.S. Naipaul
15. Yvette
16. The Big Man
17. Yvette
18. Muslim
19. The President
20. Metty

UNIT- II: ARROW OF GOD- CHINUA ACHEBE

I. Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Arrow of God portrays the conflict between what?
b) Traditional culture and colonial presence
c) The ethnic groups in Nigeria
d) God and Evil
e) Ezeulu and Nwaka
2. Which one of Ezeulu‟s son became attracted to the religion of Christianity and the
evangelical teachings of John Goodcountry?
a) Edogo
b) Obika
c) Oduche
d) Nwafo
3. What is the name of the British Colonial policy Winterbottom is tasked with
enforcing in Arrow of God
a) Direct Rule
b) Development
c) Protectorship
d) Indirect Rule
4. What is done to the Chief Priest after his death?
a) He is mummified
b) He is decapitated and his head put in the sacred compound
c) He is burnt in front of all Umuaro
d) He is buried by his oldest son
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5. Why is Ezeulu convinced that Umuaro has no rightful claim in the land dispute with
Okpri?
a) Because his mother told him the land originally belonged to Okperi
b) Because he is from Okperi and knows the land belongs to them
c) Because his father told him the land originally belonged to Okperi
d) Because he sold Okperi the land
6. What is the symbol that signifies peace in Arrow of God
a) Palm wine
b) White clay
c) Kolanut
d) Python
7. What sacred animal is imprisoned by Oduche in Arrow of God?
a) A rattlesnake
b) A python
c) A tiger
d) Anaconda
8. What ceremony marks the start of harvest in Arrow of God?
a) Festival of the Pumpkin Leaves
b) New Moon Feast
c) New Yam Feast
d) Festival of Palms
9. What does Akukalia do that leads to war with Okperi?
a) He flirts with Ebo‟s wife
b) He refused to eat a Kolanut offered to him
c) He gives the people of Okperi a Palm Frond
d) He destroys Ebo‟sIkenga
10. What is the name of the church catechist in Arrow of God?
a) Moses Goodcountry
b) John Clark
c) John Goodcountry
d) John Wildcountry
11. Who agreed to go with Ezeulu at Okperi?
a) Nwaka
b) OkekeOnenyi
c) Nwabueze
d) Nwafo
12. Okeke is Ezuele‟s ____
a) second son, a servant in the white compound
b) Half-brother, a medicine man
c) half-brother, a convert to the white man‟s religion
d) father, a mask-carver
13. What traditional, ritual circumstance prevents Ezeulu from giving Umuaro permission
to harvest the yam crop?
a) Obika‟s death renders the yam harvest impure, and therefore not to be eaten.
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b) He has not eaten the ritual yams left over from the last harvest.
c) Obika ate the ritual yams left over from the last harvest instead of him.
d) He ate the ritual yams left over from the last harvest too quickly.
14. What are the differences between how Ezeulu and Obika are treated by Tony Clarke,
and how they are treated by John Nwodika?
a) Clarke treats Ezeulu and Obika as guests: Nwodika treats them as prisoners.
b) Clarke treats Ezeulu and Obika as ambassadors: Nwodika treats them as
invaders.
c) Clarke treats Ezeulu and Obika as slaves: Nwodika treats them as
conquerors.
d) Clarke treats Ezeulu and Obika as prisoners: Nwodika treats them as guests.
15. What is Ezeulu‟s response to Winterbottom‟s order that he visit the British
compound?
a) He agrees with Akuebue‟s idea to send Oduche in his place.
b) He says he will be happy to go.
c) He says the British can come to him.
d) He decides to send Akuebue in his place.
16. What is the cause of Obika‟s death?
a) He dies after drinking too much and over-exerting himself sexually with his
wife.
b) He dies after drinking too much and over-exerting himself in a ritual.
c) He dies after an argument with Ezeulu and over-exerting himself in a ritual.
d) He dies after an argument with Edogo and over-exerting himself while
hunting.
17. Which character maintains his friendship with Ezeulu in spite of Ezeulu‟s apparent
stubbornness?
a) Abueke.
b) Winterbottom.
c) Goodcountry.
d) Unachukwu.
18. What new responsibility does Winterbottom decide to give Ezeulu?
a) Winterbottom decides to make Ezeulu Tony Clarke‟s personal servant.
b) Winterbottom decides to make Ezeulu an assistant to John Wright
c) Winterbottom decides to make Ezeulu his personal servant.
d) Winterbottom decides to make Ezeulu a warrant chief
19. How did Ulu come to be the chief god of Umuaro?
a) When Umuaro‟s six villages united into one community, Ulu himself came
into being.
b) When Ezeulu‟s father became high priest of Umuaro, he decreed that the
namesake child of the goddess Ulu was to be the chief god of the community.
c) When Umuaro‟s six villages united into one community, Ulu won a battle
of several gods to claim Umuaro as his territory.
d) When Ezeulu became high priest of Umuaro, he decreed that Ulu was to be
the community‟s chief god.
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Commonwealth Literature (Option B) Question bank with Answers

Commonwealth Literature (Option B) Question bank with Answers

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