Chinua Achebe – Things Fall Apart – Exam Based MCQs
1. Things Fall Apart is written by: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Chinua Achebe
B) Wole Soyinka
C) Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
D) Nadine Gordimer
Ans: A) Chinua Achebe
2. Things Fall Apart was first published in: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)
A) 1945
B) 1958
C) 1965
D) 1972
Ans: B) 1958
3. The title Things Fall Apart is taken from: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2018; PGTRB 2019)
A) T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land
B) W.B. Yeats’ “The Second Coming”
C) John Donne’s “The Canonization”
D) Milton’s Paradise Lost
Ans: B) W.B. Yeats’ “The Second Coming”
4. The protagonist of Things Fall Apart is: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Ezeulu
B) Okonkwo
C) Obi Okonkwo
D) Ikemefuna
Ans: B) Okonkwo
5. Things Fall Apart is set mainly in: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2020; UGC NET 2021)
A) Yoruba land
B) Igbo society of Umuofia
C) Zulu nation
D) Egyptian desert
Ans: B) Igbo society of Umuofia
6. Okonkwo is most strongly driven by fear of: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Poverty alone
B) Becoming like his father Unoka
C) Leaving Umuofia
D) Education
Ans: B) Becoming like his father Unoka
7. Unoka is portrayed as: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)
A) A great warrior
B) A gentle, music-loving man who died in debt
C) A colonial officer
D) A village priest
Ans: B) A gentle, music-loving man who died in debt
8. Ikemefuna comes to live with Okonkwo’s family as: (SET 2018; PGTRB 2019; UGC NET 2020)
A) A war captive given as compensation
B) A travelling teacher
C) A missionary boy
D) A colonial interpreter
Ans: A) A war captive given as compensation
9. Okonkwo’s relationship with Ikemefuna becomes: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Like that of enemies
B) Like that of a caring father and son
C) Completely indifferent
D) Based only on trade
Ans: B) Like that of a caring father and son
10. Ikemefuna is killed because: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)
A) He betrayed the clan
B) The Oracle decreed it
C) He joined the missionaries
D) He stole yams
Ans: B) The Oracle decreed it
11. Okonkwo participates in Ikemefuna’s killing mainly because he: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Enjoys killing
B) Fears being thought weak
C) Is ordered by missionaries
D) Wants power from the Oracle
Ans: B) Fears being thought weak
12. Nwoye is: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2020; UGC NET 2021)
A) Okonkwo’s friend
B) Okonkwo’s eldest son
C) A British officer
D) The village priest
Ans: B) Okonkwo’s eldest son
13. Nwoye is drawn to Christianity largely because: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) He wants wealth quickly
B) He is troubled by certain Igbo practices and seeks comfort
C) He wants to become a warrior
D) He hates learning
Ans: B) He is troubled by certain Igbo practices and seeks comfort
14. Okonkwo is exiled from Umuofia for: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)
A) Murdering a colonial officer
B) Accidentally killing a clansman
C) Refusing to pay taxes
D) Joining the missionaries
Ans: B) Accidentally killing a clansman
15. Okonkwo’s exile lasts for: (SET 2018; PGTRB 2019; UGC NET 2020)
A) 3 years
B) 5 years
C) 7 years
D) 10 years
Ans: C) 7 years
16. During exile, Okonkwo lives in: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Abame
B) Mbanta (his mother’s village)
C) Lagos
D) Umuru
Ans: B) Mbanta (his mother’s village)
17. The arrival of missionaries in the novel represents: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Peaceful cultural exchange only
B) Colonial intrusion and cultural disruption
C) A return to tradition
D) A village festival
Ans: B) Colonial intrusion and cultural disruption
18. The District Commissioner represents: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2020; UGC NET 2021)
A) Indigenous leadership
B) Colonial administration and law
C) Tribal spirituality
D) Traditional medicine
Ans: B) Colonial administration and law
19. The novel is often called a foundational text of: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) African literature in English
B) Victorian literature
C) Medieval literature
D) American transcendentalism
Ans: A) African literature in English
20. The novel’s narrative strategy includes: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)
A) Integrating Igbo proverbs and oral tradition
B) Writing only in diary form
C) Using only stream-of-consciousness
D) Avoiding indigenous culture
Ans: A) Integrating Igbo proverbs and oral tradition
21. The “yam” in the novel symbolizes: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Masculinity and status
B) Laziness
C) Colonial rule
D) Modern education
Ans: A) Masculinity and status
22. The clan’s decision-making is largely guided by: (SET 2018; PGTRB 2019; UGC NET 2020)
A) The Council of elders and traditions
B) The District Commissioner
C) A modern parliament
D) Missionary courts only
Ans: A) The Council of elders and traditions
23. Ekwefi is: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Okonkwo’s second wife and Ezinma’s mother
B) A British missionary
C) The Oracle priestess
D) Nwoye’s sister
Ans: A) Okonkwo’s second wife and Ezinma’s mother
24. Ezinma is significant in the novel because: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) She is Okonkwo’s favourite child
B) She becomes a colonial officer
C) She rejects her mother
D) She leads the missionaries
Ans: A) She is Okonkwo’s favourite child
25. The character Obierika is: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)
A) Okonkwo’s thoughtful friend who questions some customs
B) The District Commissioner
C) A Christian missionary
D) A village outcast
Ans: A) Okonkwo’s thoughtful friend who questions some customs
26. The novel presents Igbo society as: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Complex, structured, and culturally rich
B) Without laws or customs
C) Only primitive and chaotic
D) Entirely European
Ans: A) Complex, structured, and culturally rich
27. The conflict in the novel is mainly between: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2020; UGC NET 2021)
A) Tradition and colonial modernity
B) Two European nations
C) Igbo and Yoruba only
D) Farmers and traders only
Ans: A) Tradition and colonial modernity
28. The church is first given land in the: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)
A) Evil Forest
B) Royal palace
C) Market place
D) Yam barn
Ans: A) Evil Forest
29. The conversion of some outcasts (osu) indicates: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Christianity’s appeal to marginalized groups
B) Total unity in the clan
C) The end of colonialism
D) A return to traditional worship
Ans: A) Christianity’s appeal to marginalized groups
30. Okonkwo’s tragic end is closely tied to: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)
A) His rigid masculinity and inability to adapt
B) His love for music
C) His wish to become a missionary
D) His desire to travel to Europe
Ans: A) His rigid masculinity and inability to adapt
31. The novel is divided into: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Two parts
B) Three parts
C) Four parts
D) Five parts
Ans: B) Three parts
32. The novel ends with the District Commissioner planning a book titled: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger
B) Heart of Darkness
C) A Passage to India
D) Orientalism
Ans: A) The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger
33. The ending highlights: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)
A) Colonial reduction and misrepresentation of African lives
B) Complete understanding of Igbo culture by colonizers
C) The victory of Okonkwo
D) A romantic reunion
Ans: A) Colonial reduction and misrepresentation of African lives
34. Achebe wrote Things Fall Apart partly to: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Counter colonial narratives that portrayed Africans stereotypically
B) Praise colonialism
C) Write a medieval epic
D) Promote Victorian values
Ans: A) Counter colonial narratives that portrayed Africans stereotypically
35. The novel belongs to the genre of: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)
A) Postcolonial novel
B) Medieval romance
C) Metaphysical poem
D) Restoration comedy
Ans: A) Postcolonial novel
36. The novel uses proverbs because: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)
A) They reflect Igbo oral culture and wisdom
B) They replace the plot
C) They hide meaning completely
D) They are only jokes
Ans: A) They reflect Igbo oral culture and wisdom
37. The novel’s major theme includes: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Clash of cultures
B) Courtly love
C) Medieval Christianity
D) Romantic escapism
Ans: A) Clash of cultures
38. Okonkwo’s “fall apart” is both: (SET 2020; PGTRB 2021; UGC NET 2022)
A) Personal tragedy and cultural disruption
B) Only personal failure
C) Only cultural celebration
D) Only romantic loss
Ans: A) Personal tragedy and cultural disruption
39. The character Mr. Brown is known for: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020)
A) A more tolerant missionary approach
B) Extreme violence always
C) Refusing education
D) Becoming an Igbo priest
Ans: A) A more tolerant missionary approach
40. Reverend Smith represents: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) Religious extremism and intolerance
B) Cultural harmony
C) Traditional Igbo worship
D) Neutral governance
Ans: A) Religious extremism and intolerance
41. The novel’s language is notable for: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)
A) English infused with Igbo idioms and proverbs
B) Pure Latin style
C) Only French phrases
D) Scientific jargon only
Ans: A) English infused with Igbo idioms and proverbs
42. Okonkwo’s suicide is significant because in Igbo culture it is: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) An honourable act
B) An abomination
C) A festival ritual
D) A normal burial practice
Ans: B) An abomination
43. The title line “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold” comes from: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2018; PGTRB 2019)
A) Yeats
B) Eliot
C) Wordsworth
D) Milton
Ans: A) Yeats
44. The novel portrays colonialism as: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) A force that disrupts social and cultural systems
B) Purely beneficial
C) Completely absent
D) Only economic trade
Ans: A) A force that disrupts social and cultural systems
45. Achebe’s work is often contrasted with Conrad’s Heart of Darkness because Achebe: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Restores African voice and agency
B) Supports Conrad’s stereotypes
C) Avoids African settings
D) Writes only comedy
Ans: A) Restores African voice and agency
46. The novel’s depiction of customs mainly aims to: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)
A) Present a full, human picture of Igbo life
B) Mock all traditions
C) Ignore community life
D) Focus only on Europe
Ans: A) Present a full, human picture of Igbo life
47. The novel is often categorized as: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) A postcolonial realist novel
B) A medieval romance
C) A metaphysical poem
D) A restoration comedy
Ans: A) A postcolonial realist novel
48. Okonkwo’s tragedy is intensified by: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Rapid socio-political change under colonialism
B) A romantic love triangle
C) A comedic misunderstanding
D) A mythic quest
Ans: A) Rapid socio-political change under colonialism
49. The novel ends emphasizing the limits of: (SET 2020; PGTRB 2021; UGC NET 2022)
A) Colonial understanding and representation
B) Igbo language
C) Farming economy
D) Tribal art
Ans: A) Colonial understanding and representation
50. Overall, Things Fall Apart shows that colonialism leads to: (UGC NET 2020; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) Cultural fragmentation and personal tragedy
B) Perfect harmony
C) No change at all
D) Only comic outcomes
Ans: A) Cultural fragmentation and personal tragedy
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