Arrow of God MCQs

Author's Photo
Have a specific topic you'd like me to cover? Feel free to contact me with your suggestions.
Author: Nasir Iqbal | Assistant Professor of English Literature


Updated on: November 12, 2025
Estimated Reading Time: 14 min

Arrow of God MCQs

1. Ezeulu’s primary duty at the start of the novel is to watch for the:

A. New Yam Festival
B. White man
C. New moon
D. War drum

C. New moon
Ezeulu is the Chief Priest, responsible for watching the sky to correctly calculate and announce major festivals.

2. What design feature differentiates Ezeulu’s obi from others?

A. Special mud
B. No threshold
C. Moon-viewing entrance
D. Larger size

C. Moon-viewing entrance
Ezeulu’s obi has a second shorter threshold and cut-back eaves, allowing him to watch the moon appear.

3. Which festival does Ezeulu plan to announce after the new moon?

A. New Yam
B. Pumpkin Leaves
C. Idemili
D. Gathering of Elders

B. Pumpkin Leaves
Ezeulu plans to send his assistants on the next day (Afo) to announce the Festival of the Pumpkin Leaves.

4. What object does Ezeulu use to announce the sighting?

A. Drum
B. Iron gong (Ogene)
C. Flute
D. Ofo staff

B. Iron gong (Ogene)
After confirming the sighting, Ezeulu beats his ogene, which is an iron gong, to announce the news.
5. Ezeulu compares his political power to:

A. A mighty stream
B. Child with a goat
C. An angry Mask
D. A great tree

B. Child with a goat
Ezeulu questions his power, comparing it to a child who owns a goat but is not the real owner when the goat is slaughtered.

6. How does Ezeulu challenge young men when shaking hands?

A. Testing knowledge
B. Powerful grip
C. Asking riddles
D. Offering wine

B. Powerful grip
Ezeulu proves his strength by tensing his arm and putting all his power into his grip.

7. Why does Ezeulu believe Nwafo is the future Chief Priest?

A. He is eldest
B. Resembles grandfather
C. Most intelligent
D. Quiet nature

B. Resembles grandfather
Ezeulu thinks the deity has marked Nwafo because he is drawn to ritual and resembles Ezeulu’s father.

8. Why is Ezeulu angry with his eldest son, Edogo?

A. Refused to farm
B. Carving a god
C. Drunkenness
D. Hit his sister

B. Carving a god
Ezeulu is angry because Edogo is carving an image of a god (alusi), which Ezeulu had forbidden.

9. Ezeulu feels bitterness during his prayer because of:

A. The white man
B. Okperi war
C. Village division
D. Son’s disobedience

C. Village division
Ezeulu is bitter because of the severe division among the six villages, which his enemies blame on him.
10. What two traits spoiled Obika’s character?

A. Cowardice and greed
B. Laziness and impatience
C. Drinking and anger
D. Theft and malice

C. Drinking and anger
Obika was spoiled by drinking too much palm wine and being given to sudden and fiery anger.

11. Why did Akueke return to her father’s compound?

A. Hut burned down
B. Husband beat her
C. Visiting mother
D. Seeking new husband

B. Husband beat her
Akueke returned home because her husband, Ibe, had ill-treated and beaten her.

12. Why did Ezeulu send Oduche to the Christian mission?

A. To serve whites
B. To be his “eye”
C. To find a wife
D. To fight colonists

B. To be his “eye”
Ezeulu sent him “to join these people and be my eye there,” in case the white man took over.

13. Which proverb warns Oduche about crossing lines?

A. Fowl and goat
B. Masked spirits
C. Handshake beyond elbow
D. Dancing Mask

C. Handshake beyond elbow
“When a handshake goes beyond the elbow we know it has turned to another thing.”

14. Why did the six villages originally install Ulu?

A. Fight Okperi
B. Protection from slavers
C. Central authority
D. Land dispute

B. Protection from slavers
The villages united to protect themselves from the Abam slave raiders.
15. Why did Ezeulu oppose the war with Okperi?

A. Umuaro was weak
B. War was unjust
C. Nwaka was corrupt
D. Family ties

B. War was unjust
Ezeulu believed the land belonged to Okperi and that Ulu would not fight an unjust war.

16. What is the name of the high title held by Nwaka?

A. Ozo
B. Ndichie
C. Eru
D. Eze

C. Eru
Nwaka held the Eru title, named after the lord of wealth.

17. Nwaka claimed Ezeulu was biased because:

A. He was cowardly
B. His mother was from Okperi
C. He wanted kingship
D. He lied

B. His mother was from Okperi
Nwaka implied Ezeulu favored Okperi because his mother was born there.

18. What act led to Akukalia’s death?

A. Cursed the chief
B. Stole cattle
C. Split the Ikenga
D. Insulted elders

C. Split the Ikenga
Akukalia committed an abomination by breaking his host’s sacred Ikenga statue.

19. What nickname was given to Captain Winterbottom?

A. Wintabota
B. Otiji-Egbe (Gun Breaker)
C. Obi Ikedi
D. White Lion

B. Otiji-Egbe (Gun Breaker)
He was called “Breaker of Guns” after destroying the natives’ firearms.
20. Winterbottom blames administrative difficulties on:

A. The climate
B. Headquarters’ interference
C. Native dishonesty
D. Lack of kings

B. Headquarters’ interference
He felt experienced officers were constantly overruled by ignorant officials at Headquarters.

21. Why did Winterbottom choose Ezeulu as Warrant Chief?

A. Offered bribe
B. Spoke the truth
C. Promised conversion
D. Was educated

B. Spoke the truth
Ezeulu was the only witness who testified truthfully about the land dispute.

22. Who is the antagonist backing Nwaka?

A. Obika
B. Oduche
C. Ezidemili
D. Moses Unachukwu

C. Ezidemili
Ezidemili, the priest of Idemili, constantly urged Nwaka to challenge Ezeulu.

23. What does the name “Idemili” mean?

A. Sky Father
B. Pillar of Water
C. Earth Lord
D. Great Mother

B. Pillar of Water
It refers to the pillar holding up the raincloud.

24. Ezidemili claims Ezeulu’s burial custom is a copy of:

A. Royal tradition
B. Idemili’s ritual
C. War rites
D. Magical rites

B. Idemili’s ritual
He argues the first Ezeulu copied the head-separation ritual from Idemili priests.
25. Why did Ezeulu really send Oduche to church?

A. To gain an ally
B. To destroy it
C. To sacrifice him
D. To carry messages

A. To gain an ally
He wanted a family member on the white man’s side if they stayed.

26. What animal did Oduche trap in a box?

A. Sacred cow
B. Royal python
C. Poisonous snake
D. Iguana

B. Royal python
Oduche committed an abomination by trapping the sacred royal python.

27. John Goodcountry used the example of killing which animal?

A. Snake
B. Tortoise
C. Iguana
D. Ram

C. Iguana
He cited Niger Delta Christians who killed the sacred iguana to fight bad customs.

28. Moses Unachukwu argued that killing the python causes:

A. Wealth
B. Ruin and strife
C. Divine favor
D. Good harvest

B. Ruin and strife
He used the story of the lost village Umuama to show that killing the python brings destruction.

29. How was the Okperi-Umuaro road built?

A. Paid labor
B. Unpaid communal labor
C. Slaves
D. Soldiers

B. Unpaid communal labor
Mr. Wright used forced, unpaid labor from the age groups.
30. Why was Obika flogged by Mr. Wright?

A. Drunkenness
B. Late for work
C. Assault
D. Refused to sing

B. Late for work
Obika was whipped for arriving late to the road-building site.

31. Unachukwu compared the white man to:

A. A storm
B. Hot soup
C. Weak child
D. Barking dog

B. Hot soup
“The white man is like hot soup and we must take him slowly-slowly from the edges.”

32. How was Winterbottom injured during his illness?

A. Frostbite
B. Scalded feet
C. Lost sight
D. Burns

B. Scalded feet
Hot water bottles were applied to his feet during delirium, causing severe burns.

33. Umuaro believed Winterbottom’s illness was caused by:

A. Natural sickness
B. Bad luck
C. Ezeulu’s charm
D. Bad omen

C. Ezeulu’s charm
They believed Ezeulu struck him with a powerful charm for the summons.

34. What was Ezeulu’s initial reply to the summons?

A. Too old
B. White man must come
C. Fasting
D. Arrest Nwaka first

B. White man must come
He defiantly stated he would not leave his hut; the white man must come to him.
35. What did Ezeulu find “pleasant” about detention?

A. Food
B. Loss of responsibility
C. Meeting kin
D. Learning language

B. Loss of responsibility
He felt relief at being temporarily free from the heavy burden of priesthood.

36. Who officially offered Ezeulu the Warrant Chief title?

A. Winterbottom
B. Mr. Clarke
C. John Nwodika
D. Ezidemili

B. Mr. Clarke
Due to Winterbottom’s illness, his assistant, Mr. Clarke, made the offer.

37. Ezeulu refused the title, saying he is chief only of:

A. Umuaro
B. Okperi
C. Ulu
D. His compound

C. Ulu
He stated, “Ezeulu will not be anybody’s chief, except Ulu.”

38. What was Ezeulu’s strategy for revenge?

A. Curse the clan
B. Delay return (Ulu’s wrath)
C. Fight with whites
D. Riot

B. Delay return (Ulu’s wrath)
He used his detention as an excuse to delay the sacred calendar, weaponizing Ulu against the people.

39. Why did Ezeulu refuse to announce the New Yam Feast?

A. Punishing villages
B. Had remaining yams
C. Lost count
D. Ulu’s command

B. Had remaining yams
He still had three sacred yams left to eat (one per month) before the year could end.
40. Why did he have excess yams?

A. Saving for sacrifice
B. Too ill
C. Missed moons in prison
D. Forgot ritual

C. Missed moons in prison
Detention prevented him from performing the monthly ritual of eating a yam.

41. Who offered to take the punishment for eating the yams early?

A. White men
B. Christians
C. The ten delegates
D. Family

C. The ten delegates
The elders offered to bear the abomination themselves if Ezeulu would eat the yams.

42. What metaphor explains Ezeulu’s refusal?

A. Child and goat
B. Enemy ruin
C. God’s whip
D. Hunting leopard

C. God’s whip
He claimed he was merely an arrow or whip used by Ulu, unable to act against the god’s will.

43. How long was the harvest delayed?

A. Two moons
B. Two weeks
C. One year
D. Indefinitely

A. Two moons
Ezeulu announced that the year would be prolonged by two months to finish the yams.

44. Who noted that people must still pay tribute despite ruined crops?

A. Akuebue
B. Ofoka
C. Nwaka
D. Oduche

C. Nwaka
Nwaka pointed out the cruelty that people would lose their harvest but still owe tribute to Ulu.
45. Who offered immunity for harvesting yams?

A. Elders
B. Christians
C. Traders
D. Family

B. Christians
The church offered protection to anyone who brought thank-offerings to God.

46. How did Ezeulu react to the Christian offer?

A. Pleased
B. Worried/Investigated
C. Ignored it
D. Cursed them

B. Worried/Investigated
He was disturbed and asked Oduche to confirm if it was true.

47. What did Ezeulu tell Oduche to master?

A. Fighting
B. Writing with left hand
C. Medicine
D. Road building

B. Writing with left hand
He urged him to learn the white man’s skill so thoroughly he could write with his left hand.

Brief Overview

Arrow of God is a novel by Chinua Achebe, first published in 1964. It is a tragic novel that details the downfall of a traditional religious leader due to his own pride and the disruptive interference of British colonial rule.

The story centers on Ezeulu, the powerful Chief Priest of the god Ulu, who looked after the six villages of Umuaro. Ezeulu tried to warn his people against starting an unjust war, but they ignored his counsel. The white man, Captain Winterbottom, stops the conflict and later offers Ezeulu a political title.

Ezeulu decides to send his son, Oduche, to the Christian mission. He wants Oduche to act as his “eye” there, learning the ways of the white men. Oduche later causes great turmoil in the compound by trapping the sacred python, violating tradition.

Winterbottom summons Ezeulu to Okperi. Ezeulu initially refuses to go. He is arrested and detained for thirty-two days. He returns home full of anger and publicly refuses the title of Warrant Chief.

Ezeulu refuses to announce the New Yam Feast. He still needs to eat three sacred yams before he can authorize the harvest. His absence caused him to miss eating two yams. The delay causes a severe famine in Umuaro.

The Christian teacher, Goodcountry, steps into the vacuum. He tells the starving villagers to sacrifice their yams to the Christian God instead. Ezeulu’s favorite son, Obika, dies suddenly. The people conclude that Ulu has punished his proud priest. Many villagers abandon Ulu and turn to the Christian church for help.

Related Posts

Leave a comment

SpunkNotes

Typically replies within few hours

Hello, Welcome to the site. If you have any inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact.