What are two things the main character has done to keep his own reputation safe?

Became a great wrestler and a wealthy/successful farmer

What was Unoka told by the Oracle?

He would fail because of his laziness

He would succeed beyond his wildest dreams

He would have three more wives and two more sons

How did Okonkwo build his fortune?

Okonkwo built his fortune alone as a sharecropper

His wives gave him the money to start farming

Unoka gives him the money to raise his crops

An angel comes and gives him seeds

How does Okonkwo begin his wealth?

He asks a wealthy clansman to give him 400 seed yams

He marries into a wealth family

Why do the Umofia consider going to war with Mbaino?

A woman from Umofia is murdered in Mbaino.

A villager spits in Okonkwo's face

A man from Mbaino kills a family in Umofia

What is the result of Unoka's unpaid debts?

Okonkwo has to succeed on his own

Okonkwo must pay all his debts back

What effect does that devastating harvest have on Okonkwo?

For the rest of his life he considers his survival during that difficult period proof of his inner strength

What do you learn about why and when Umuofia would go to war?

The reasons for the war had to be clear and just. The oracle had to support the war.

The oracle had to throw bones and see the stars align

How does Okonkwo react when his father attempted to help him by giving him advice about his crops?

Okonkwo felt disgust because either action or silence was called for

He laughed because his father was right

Why does Okonkwo work hard?

To make up for his father's negative strikes against him

To pay for his five wives and sixteen children

How does Okonkwo treat his wives and children?

He rules with an iron fist because he wants to be nothing like his dad

Analyze this proverb: "when the moon is shining the cripple becomes hungry for a walk"

When the moon provides light, even cripples want to get out in the light and walk

The moon has to shine just right for everyone to walk

When the moon hits your eye you're in love

Things Fall Apart Chapter 1-3

Quiz

•

English

•

9th - 12th Grade

•

Practice Problem

•

Easy

•

CCSS

RL.6.3, RL.1.10, RL.11-12.9

+23

Standards-aligned

Karen Rains

Used 134+ times

FREE Resource

About this resource

This quiz focuses on the opening chapters of Chinua Achebe's novel "Things Fall Apart," covering fundamental plot elements, character development, and cultural context from chapters 1-3. Designed for high school students at the 9th-12th grade level, the questions assess reading comprehension, character analysis, and understanding of Igbo cultural practices. Students need strong literal comprehension skills to identify key details about protagonist Okonkwo, his relationship with his father Unoka, and the agricultural society of Umuofia. The quiz requires students to understand character motivations, particularly Okonkwo's drive to distance himself from his father's perceived failures, and to grasp cultural elements like the role of yams in establishing wealth, tribal justice systems, and the significance of titles within the community. The final question challenges students to interpret figurative language through proverb analysis, demonstrating higher-order thinking skills essential for literary analysis. Created by Karen Rains, an English teacher in the US who teaches grades 9-12. This comprehensive quiz serves multiple instructional purposes, functioning effectively as a formative assessment tool to gauge student understanding before progressing to subsequent chapters, or as a focused review activity to reinforce key plot points and character relationships. Teachers can utilize this quiz as a warm-up activity to activate prior knowledge before class discussions, assign it as homework to encourage careful reading, or implement it as a low-stakes assessment to identify students who may need additional support with the text. The variety of question types, from basic recall to interpretive analysis, allows educators to differentiate instruction and target specific reading skills. This assessment aligns with Common Core standards RL.9-10.1 and RL.9-10.3, as students demonstrate their ability to cite textual evidence and analyze character development within the narrative.