What The Tapster Saw Quiz

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Author: Nasir Iqbal | Assistant Professor of English Literature

what the tapster saw Quiz
Updated on: October 21, 2025
Estimated Reading Time: 9 min

🡆 Before you begin the quiz, read the summary of What the Tapster Saw by Ben Okri.

What The Tapster Saw Quiz

1. What did the tapster tie to his bicycle the morning after his dream?

A. Ropes
B. 3 gourds
C. Palm-wine
D. Magic potions

B. 3 gourds
He tied three empty gourds to his bicycle, carrying ropes and potions separately.

2. What was the warning on the first signboard the tapster encountered?

A. Trespassers shot
B. Area secured
C. Drilling in danger
D. No entry allowed

C. Drilling in danger
It read: “Delta oil company: This area is being drilled. Trespassers in danger”.

3. How did the tapster react initially to the first signboard?

A. He ignored it
B. He stopped to read
C. Stared without comprehension
D. He turned back

C. Stared without comprehension
The tapster stared at the signboard without comprehension before noticing the palm-trees.

4. What smell intoxicated the tapster near the cluster of palm-trees?

A. Wine left behind
B. Red-green bark
C. Morning mist
D. Distilled oil

B. Red-green bark
He was intoxicated by the smell of their red-green bark and immediately began to climb.
5. What physical symptom did the tapster experience as he climbed rapidly?

A. Legs cramped
B. Chest began to ache
C. Fingers slipped
D. Vision blurred

B. Chest began to ache
As he climbed, pressing his feet against the trunk, his chest began to ache.

6. What blinded the tapster just before his fall?

A. Thick fog
B. Golden lights in his eyes
C. Palm branches
D. Dust cloud

B. Golden lights in his eyes
The morning sun’s oblique glare blinded him, and golden lights exploded in his eyes.

7. How long had it been since the tapster previously fell from a palm-tree?

A. Five years
B. Thirty years
C. Never
D. One decade

B. Thirty years
The fall was the first time this type of incident had happened in thirty years.

8. How did the tapster feel immediately upon waking after the fall?

A. Great pain
B. Light and airy
C. Dizzy and confused
D. Deeply hurt

B. Light and airy
He felt no pain and felt light and airy, believing the fall had done him good.

9. What feature did the tapster walk through, described as glittering?

A. Dusty road
B. Spangles of cobwebs
C. Wet sand
D. Burning grass

B. Spangles of cobwebs
He walked through spangles of glittering cobwebs where fireflies darted.
10. Where did the fireflies re-emerge after entering the tapster’s nose and ears?

A. His mouth
B. His eyes
C. His ears
D. His nose

B. His eyes
Fireflies darted into his nose and ears, and re-emerged from his eyes with their lights undimmed.

11. What was the warning on the second signboard the tapster saw?

A. Trespassers in danger
B. Trespassers shot
C. Trespassers persecuted
D. Keep off this land

C. Trespassers persecuted
The second sign read: “Delta oil company: Trespassers will be persecuted”.

12. What immediately happened when the tapster marked the tree-trunk?

A. It began to bleed
B. Became a wound
C. It was rejected
D. It grew darker

B. Became a wound
He made a mark on the tree-trunk, and it instantly became a fully featured wound.

13. How did the twisting roots interact with the tapster?

A. Clasped and tickled him
B. They tripped him
C. They lifted him
D. They pointed the way

A. Clasped and tickled him
The twisting roots clasped his ankles, held him down, and tickled him until he laughed.

14. What was the initial characteristic of the river water?

A. Flowing fast
B. Viscous and still
C. Transparent and luminous
D. Warm and bubbling

B. Viscous and still
He came to a river whose water was viscous and did not seem to move.
15. How many turtles were lazing by the borehole?

A. Two
B. Three
C. Four
D. Many

B. Three
There were three turtles lazing on the edge of the borehole.

16. What peculiar feature did the turtles possess?

A. Green shells
B. Tabasco’s face
C. Glowing eyes
D. Large size

B. Tabasco’s face
One turtle, and others mentioned later, had Tabasco’s face.

17. What command did the voice give the tapster from behind?

A. Run fast
B. Don’t turn round
C. Listen closely
D. Speak louder

B. Don’t turn round
While the tapster stayed still, a voice told him from behind, ‘Don’t turn round’.

18. What ‘fiendish’ act did the turtle with Tabasco’s face perform toward the tapster?

A. Spat
B. Bit him
C. Urinated
D. Whispered

C. Urinated
The turtle with Tabasco’s face urinated in the tapster’s direction, appearing “positively fiendish”.

19. What hit the tapster immediately after he laughed at the turtle?

A. A stone
B. A heavy object
C. A small branch
D. Invisible hands

B. A heavy object
After he laughed, a heavy object hit him on the head from behind.
20. What was the immediate response when the tapster first asked ‘Where am I?’?

A. A new voice
B. Loud laughter
C. Silence
D. The river sound

C. Silence
When the tapster asked ‘Where am I?’, he received silence.

21. According to one voice, how many days had the tapster been dead?

A. Seven days
B. Six days
C. Three days
D. Five days

C. Three days
Another voice said: ‘You have been dead for three days’.

22. What did the voice say they would do if the tapster wanted to leave?

A. Guide him out
B. Give him wine
C. Beat him out
D. Charge a fee

C. Beat him out
The voice stated: ‘If you want to leave, we will have to beat you out’.

23. Why did the voice claim they needed to beat him out?

A. Humans understand pain
B. To teach him respect
C. He was noisy
D. They enjoyed violence

A. Humans understand pain
The voice responded: ‘Because you humans only understand pain’.

24. What ingredient did Tabasco use when preparing his pipe?

A. Dried leaves
B. Kola nut
C. Tobacco
D. Alligator pepper seeds

D. Alligator pepper seeds
Tabasco used alligator pepper seeds instead of tobacco for the pipe.
25. What type of smoke did Tabasco blow into the tapster’s face?

A. White, sweet smoke
B. Black ticklish smoke
C. Blue, heavy smoke
D. Red, stinging smoke

B. Black ticklish smoke
Tabasco blew black ticklish smoke into the tapster’s face.

26. What later duration of death was mentioned before the tapster woke?

A. Four days
B. Five days
C. Six days
D. Seven days

C. Six days
A voice told the tapster while he was floating that he had been dead for six days.

27. What event caused the snake to lose its opal eyes and the eggs to explode?

A. Invisible knocks
B. The tapster’s mighty sneeze
C. Green liquids
D. The sun setting

B. The tapster’s mighty sneeze
When he sneezed, clustered eggs exploded, the snake lost its opal eyes, and the voice fissioned.

28. Who was standing over the tapster, waving a crude censer, when he finally recovered?

A. A new turtle
B. The famous blacksmith
C. Tabasco the herbalist
D. His mother

C. Tabasco the herbalist
Upon recovering, Tabasco the herbalist was standing over him, waving a crude censer.

29. What ‘fiendish’ act did the turtle with Tabasco’s face perform toward the tapster?

A. Spat
B. Bit him
C. Urinated
D. Whispered

C. Urinated
The turtle with Tabasco’s face urinated in the tapster’s direction, appearing “positively fiendish”.
30. What happened to the tapster’s ‘substance of his being’?

A. It solidified
B. It dissolved
C. It brightened
D. It multiplied

B. It dissolved
After being hit harder, he felt the substance of his being dissolve.

Brief Overview

What the Tapster Saw by Ben Okri is a magical realist story that explores life, death, and the connection between the physical and spiritual worlds. The story centers on a palm-wine tapster who falls from a tall palm tree and hovers between life and death.

As he lies unconscious, his spirit begins a journey into a surreal realm filled with mysterious visions. He witnesses strange and symbolic scenes, such as spirits in motion and unsettling images that reflect deeper truths about humanity.

During this near-death experience, the tapster becomes aware of the fragility of life and the hidden forces that govern existence. The visions blend beauty and terror, suggesting that the spiritual world coexists with everyday life.

When he awakens, he is changed by what he has seen, carrying an unspoken knowledge that cannot be easily shared. The story leaves an open-ended reflection on how mystical experiences transform one’s perception of reality.

4.7/5 - (3 votes)

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