Things Fall Apart MCQs

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Author: Nasir Iqbal | Assistant Professor of English Literature

Things Fall Apart MCQs
Updated on: October 21, 2025
Estimated Reading Time: 17 min

🡆 Before you begin the quiz, read the summary of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.

Things Fall Apart MCQs

1. Okonkwo initially brought honour to his village by defeating which famous wrestler?

A. Obierika the Fish
B. Amalinze the Cat
C. Ezeudu the Strong
D. Okoye the Cobra

B. Amalinze the Cat
Defeating the unbeaten Amalinze established Okonkwo’s fame and strength early in his life.

2. What character trait defined Okonkwo’s father, Unoka?

A. Industrious and wealthy
B. Fearless and warlike
C. Lazy and improvident
D. Strict and proud

C. Lazy and improvident
Unoka’s failures deeply shamed Okonkwo and fueled his lifelong fear of weakness.

3. Among the Igbo, what is regarded as “the palm-oil with which words are eaten”?

A. Kola nuts
B. Proverbs
C. Palm-wine
D. Sacrifices

B. Proverbs
Proverbs are essential to Igbo conversation, adding wisdom and nuance to communication.

4. What was Okonkwo’s main achievement in Umuofia’s latest war?

A. He was the first to bring home a human head.
B. He led the negotiations for peace.
C. He brought back the compensation virgin.
D. He threw the enemy’s greatest warrior.

A. He was the first to bring home a human head.
This achievement cemented his reputation as a fierce warrior, adding to his titles.
5. Who was the murder victim from Mbaino that required compensation?

A. The wife of Ogbuefi Ezeugo
B. A daughter of Umuofia
C. A titled elder
D. Ikemefuna’s sister

B. A daughter of Umuofia
The murder of an Umuofia woman in Mbaino led to the demand for Ikemefuna as compensation.

6. Which wealthy man lent Okonkwo his first seed yams?

A. Uchendu
B. Obierika
C. Nwakibie
D. Ogbuefi Ezeugo

C. Nwakibie
Nwakibie recognized Okonkwo’s potential and gave him the start he needed to build his own wealth.

7. Okonkwo was ruled by a passion to hate everything his father had loved, including gentleness and what?

A. Music
B. Idleness
C. Drinking palm-wine
D. Kites

B. Idleness
His father’s laziness drove Okonkwo’s relentless work ethic and fear of appearing weak or unproductive.

8. What was the year Okonkwo borrowed seed-yams from Nwakibie called?

A. The Year of the Great Harvest
B. The Year the Earth Smiled
C. The worst year in living memory
D. The Year of the Locusts

C. The worst year in living memory
Surviving this disastrous harvest year through sheer determination further solidified Okonkwo’s character.

9. According to Igbo proverb, when a man says yes, who agrees also?

A. His ancestors
B. His clan
C. His chi (personal god)
D. The earth goddess

C. His chi (personal god)
This proverb reflects the Igbo belief in a personal spirit, or chi, linked to individual destiny.
10. How long did Ikemefuna ultimately stay in Okonkwo’s household?

A. Two years
B. Three years
C. Seven years
D. One year

B. Three years
Ikemefuna lived with Okonkwo’s family for three years, becoming like a son and brother.

11. What emotion did Okonkwo show openly?

A. Affection
B. Weakness
C. Anger
D. Contentment

C. Anger
Okonkwo believed showing affection was a sign of weakness, so he only displayed anger outwardly.

12. What was the name of Okonkwo’s youngest wife, whom he beat during the Week of Peace?

A. Ekwefi
B. Ojiugo
C. Nwoye’s mother
D. Ezinma

B. Ojiugo
Beating Ojiugo during this sacred time was Okonkwo’s first major offense against clan tradition.

13. Why did Okonkwo beat his wife Ojiugo during the Week of Peace?

A. She did not look after Ikemefuna.
B. She failed to cook the afternoon meal.
C. She did not feed her children.
D. She did not bring water from the stream.

B. She failed to cook the afternoon meal.
Her absence to plait her hair led to Okonkwo’s violent outburst during a sacred period.

14. What was Okonkwo’s fine for breaking the Week of Peace?

A. One cock, cloth, and two hundred cowries
B. One she-goat, one hen, cloth, and a hundred cowries
C. A large barn of yams
D. Two she-goats and a pot of palm-wine

B. One she-goat, one hen, cloth, and a hundred cowries
The priest demanded this sacrifice to appease the earth goddess Ani for Okonkwo’s transgression.
15. Why did Okonkwo want Nwoye to become a great farmer?

A. So Nwoye could inherit his titles.
B. To make Nwoye’s mother happy.
C. Because yam stood for manliness.
D. So Nwoye could marry Ezinma.

C. Because yam stood for manliness.
Yam cultivation was central to Igbo masculinity, and Okonkwo desperately wanted Nwoye to embody this trait.

16. Which deity was honoured during the Feast of the New Yam?

A. Chukwu (Supreme God)
B. Amadiora (God of Thunder)
C. Ani (Earth goddess)
D. Agbala (Oracle)

C. Ani (Earth goddess)
Ani was the most important deity, responsible for fertility and the source of all morality.

17. Who did Okonkwo attempt to shoot with his rusty gun?

A. A runaway goat
B. A messenger
C. His second wife, Ekwefi
D. Ikemefuna

C. His second wife, Ekwefi
His violent rage nearly led him to kill Ekwefi during the New Yam Festival.

18. Who was Okonkwo’s second wife, who had run away from her first husband?

A. Ojiugo
B. Nwoye’s mother
C. Chielo
D. Ekwefi

D. Ekwefi
Ekwefi fell in love with Okonkwo after seeing him wrestle, becoming his spirited second wife.

19. What major ceremony took place on the second day of the New Yam Festival?

A. The Feast of the Ancestors
B. The wrestling match
C. The naming ceremony
D. The bride-price negotiation

B. The wrestling match
The wrestling matches were a central part of the festival and a major community event.
20. What was the traditional cycle of the locusts?

A. They came yearly during the harvest.
B. They came once a generation, returned for seven years, then vanished.
C. They came during the planting season only.
D. They came only during the Week of Peace.

B. They came once a generation, returned for seven years, then vanished.
The arrival of the locusts was a rare and significant event, initially welcomed by the villagers.

21. Who warned Okonkwo not to participate in Ikemefuna’s execution?

A. Uchendu
B. Obierika
C. Ogbuefi Ezeudu
D. Ogbuefi Ezeugo

C. Ogbuefi Ezeudu
Ezeudu, the respected elder, explicitly warned Okonkwo against having a hand in the boy’s death.

22. What was the Oracle’s final decision regarding Ikemefuna?

A. He should be adopted into the clan.
B. He should be taken outside Umuofia and killed.
C. He should be returned to Mbaino.
D. He should marry the compensation virgin.

B. He should be taken outside Umuofia and killed.
The Oracle’s decree sealed Ikemefuna’s fate, despite his integration into Okonkwo’s family.

23. Who was the last person Ikemefuna saw walking behind him?

A. Obierika
B. Ezeudu
C. Okonkwo
D. Nwoye

C. Okonkwo
Ikemefuna ran towards Okonkwo for protection, seeing him as his father.

24. What were Ikemefuna’s last words to Okonkwo?

A. “I am hungry!”
B. “My father, they have killed me!”
C. “Where is my mother?”
D. “Agbala save me!”

B. “My father, they have killed me!”
His final words underscore the betrayal and Okonkwo’s violation of a fatherly bond.
25. Okonkwo killed Ikemefuna because he was afraid of being thought what?

A. Weak
B. Cowardly
C. Unmanly
D. All of the above

A. Weak
Okonkwo’s fear of appearing weak overrode his affection for Ikemefuna, leading him to strike the fatal blow.

26. The news of Ikemefuna’s death reminded Nwoye of hearing what other sound?

A. Lost animals in the forest
B. Men being killed in war
C. Twins crying in the bush
D. The Oracle’s priestess wailing

C. Twins crying in the bush
Both events represented something cruel and inexplicable in the clan’s traditions that deeply troubled Nwoye.

27. What was Okonkwo’s persistent thought about his daughter Ezinma?

A. She should marry well.
B. She should have been a boy.
C. She was too quiet.
D. She was too much like her mother.

B. She should have been a boy.
Okonkwo admired Ezinma’s spirit and wished she possessed the masculine qualities he found lacking in Nwoye.

28. What was Obierika’s main concern about Okonkwo killing Ikemefuna?

A. It would lead to war with Mbaino.
B. It was an offense against the Earth goddess.
C. It was against the Oracle’s decision.
D. It was too expensive.

B. It was an offense against the Earth goddess.
Obierika represents a more thoughtful perspective, warning Okonkwo of the spiritual consequences of his act.

29. Ekwefi had borne ten children, but how many had died in infancy?

A. Five
B. Seven
C. Nine
D. Ten

C. Nine
Ekwefi’s tragic history of child mortality explains her fierce devotion to her only surviving daughter, Ezinma.
30. What was Ezinma believed to be, explaining her mother’s cycle of sorrow?

A. Egwugwu
B. Nnadi
C. Ogbanje
D. Agbala

C. Ogbanje
An ogbanje was a spirit child who repeatedly died and returned to torment its mother.

31. What sign showed Ezinma’s bond with the world of ogbanje had been broken?

A. The killing of the sacred python
B. The digging up of her iyi-uwa
C. Her taking of a title
D. Her growing up to age ten

B. The digging up of her iyi-uwa
Finding and destroying the iyi-uwa, a special stone, was believed to sever the ogbanje’s connection.

32. Each of the nine egwugwu represented what?

A. A god
B. A wife
C. A village of the clan
D. A family ancestor

C. A village of the clan
The egwugwu were masked men impersonating ancestral spirits, acting as the highest court in the land.

33. When Chielo came to Okonkwo’s compound, who did she say Agbala wanted to see?

A. Okonkwo
B. Ekwefi
C. Nwoye
D. Ezinma

D. Ezinma
Chielo, in her role as priestess, demanded Ezinma be brought to the Oracle’s cave.

34. What instrument announced Ezeudu’s death?

A. The ogene
B. The ekwe
C. The flute
D. The cannon

B. The ekwe
The ekwe, a wooden gong, was used to communicate important news, including the death of a respected elder.
35. How did Okonkwo cause the death of Ezeudu’s son?

A. He struck him with a machete.
B. His gun exploded, piercing the boy’s heart.
C. He killed him in a wrestling match.
D. He pushed him over a wall.

B. His gun exploded, piercing the boy’s heart.
Okonkwo’s accidental killing of the boy during the funeral rites is the pivotal event leading to his exile.

36. Okonkwo’s crime was classified as “female” because it was what?

A. Against his mother’s lineage
B. Done during a funeral
C. Inadvertent (accidental)
D. Committed by his wife

C. Inadvertent (accidental)
The distinction between male (intentional) and female (accidental) crimes determined the severity of the punishment.

37. What was the punishment for Okonkwo’s female crime?

A. Banishment for life
B. Exile for seven years
C. Payment of 250 cowries
D. Execution by the egwugwu

B. Exile for seven years
He was forced to leave Umuofia for seven years to cleanse the land polluted by his accidental crime.

38. Who received Okonkwo in Mbanta?

A. Obierika
B. Ogbuefi Ezenwa
C. Uchendu
D. Okagbue

C. Uchendu
Uchendu, Okonkwo’s maternal uncle, welcomed him and provided guidance during his exile.

39. What was the name of Okonkwo’s motherland?

A. Umuofia
B. Mbaino
C. Mbanta
D. Umuru

C. Mbanta
He took refuge in Mbanta, the village of his mother’s kinsmen, as tradition dictated.
40. What did Uchendu declare was the meaning of the name Nneka?

A. Daughter is Supreme
B. Mother is Supreme
C. Ancestor is Supreme
D. Chi is Supreme

B. Mother is Supreme
Uchendu uses this name to teach Okonkwo the importance of the motherland as a place of refuge.

41. The clan of Abame was wiped out for killing a white man and tying his “iron horse” to what?

A. The market shrine
B. Their sacred silk-cotton tree
C. The church compound
D. Okonkwo’s old barn

B. Their sacred silk-cotton tree
The story of Abame serves as a cautionary tale about the destructive power of the white man.

42. What were the early Christian converts in Umuofia mostly described as?

A. Ndichie (elders)
B. Efulefu (worthless men)
C. Great warriors
D. Rich farmers

B. Efulefu (worthless men)
Initially, the church attracted mainly outcasts and men without title, those with nothing to lose.

43. What two issues troubling Nwoye were addressed by the new religion’s hymns?

A. The drought and the poor harvest
B. His father’s cruelty and the Oracle’s words
C. The twins in the bush and the killing of Ikemefuna
D. His laziness and the absence of Unoka

C. The twins in the bush and the killing of Ikemefuna
Christianity offered Nwoye answers and solace for the aspects of Igbo culture that deeply disturbed him.

44. Why did the Mbanta elders offer the missionaries land in the Evil Forest?

A. They wanted them to be close to the Oracle.
B. They expected the evil spirits to kill them.
C. It was the only available land.
D. They believed the white man’s magic would cleanse it.

B. They expected the evil spirits to kill them.
Giving them land in the Evil Forest was a test, expected to result in their deaths.
45. Where did Nwoye go after his father beat him for joining the Christians?

A. Back to Umuofia to attend the white man’s school
B. Into the Evil Forest
C. To Obierika’s household
D. To his uncle Uchendu

A. Back to Umuofia to attend the white man’s school
Nwoye’s departure to the mission school represents his final break from his father and traditional culture.

46. Okonkwo, the “Roaring Flame,” compared his weak son Nwoye to what?

A. A mighty tree that bears rotten fruit.
B. Cold, impotent ash.
C. A kite that cannot hear the falconer.
D. An eagle that cannot perch.

B. Cold, impotent ash.
This metaphor expresses Okonkwo’s bitter disappointment in Nwoye’s perceived lack of masculine fire.

47. Who was Mr. Brown’s successor as the white missionary?

A. Mr. Kiaga
B. The Reverend James Smith
C. The District Commissioner
D. Okeke

B. The Reverend James Smith
Mr. Smith’s uncompromising and confrontational approach sharply contrasts with Mr. Brown’s tolerance.

48. What was the insulting name given to court messengers because of their shorts?

A. White Skins
B. Ashy Buttocks
C. Snake Killers
D. Wild Animals

B. Ashy Buttocks
This derogatory nickname reflects the clan’s contempt for the colonial administration’s agents.

49. What was the “greatest crime” during the ceremony for the earth deity?

A. Killing a python
B. Speaking disrespectfully to an elder
C. Unmasking an egwugwu in public
D. Destroying the church

C. Unmasking an egwugwu in public
Enoch’s act of unmasking an egwugwu was a profound sacrilege that directly led to the church’s destruction.
50. What was Okonkwo’s realization after he killed the head messenger?

A. He would be hanged.
B. Umuofia would not go to war.
C. He had avenged his exile.
D. He should have killed the white commissioner.

B. Umuofia would not go to war.
The clan’s inaction after he killed the messenger showed Okonkwo that their spirit was broken.

Brief Overview

Things Fall Apart follows Okonkwo, a respected warrior in the Igbo village of Umuofia, who fears weakness and failure after witnessing his father’s laziness. He builds his identity on strength, masculinity, and strict tradition.

Okonkwo’s life begins to unravel when he accidentally kills a clansman and is exiled for seven years. During his exile, Christian missionaries and British colonial forces began to dominate the Igbo community.

The arrival of colonial rule disrupts traditional beliefs, divides families, and weakens the clan’s unity. Okonkwo struggles to accept the changes, believing that resistance is a sign of honour.

When he returns, Okonkwo tries to rally the villagers against the colonizers, but he finds them unwilling to fight. Feeling defeated and isolated, he takes his own life, an act forbidden by his own culture.

Achebe’s novel explores themes of colonialism, cultural conflict, tradition versus change, masculinity, and the tragic downfall of a man who cannot adapt.

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