Matigari Quizzes

Matigari Quiz Historical Context and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o

1 Why did Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o change his name?
James Ngugi is the name of a different, prominent Kenyan author

To celebrate his Gĩkũyũ heritage and resist the legacy of colonialism

His birth name was too difficult for Western audiences to pronounce and remember

To honor his grandfather's memory
2 Why did Ngũgĩ choose to write in Gĩkũyũ instead of English?
He does not speak English

To hide his anti-colonialist messages from the British government

To revitalize African languages and cultural identites

He felt his English prose was weaker than his Gĩkũyũ prose
3 What controversial change did Ngũgĩ support while teaching at the University of Nairobi?
The banning of religious missionaries from campus

Firing all European and American staff

Affirmative action admissions for ethnic minority groups

The abolition of the English Literature department
4 How were Ngũgĩ's plays particularly threatening to the Kenyan government?
His messages were satirical and political

The actors performed in the local language

He involved audiences directly in his theater

All of these
5 What traumatic event shaped Ngũgĩ's writing and political philosophies?
World War II

His mother's death

The Mau Mau uprising

His expulsion from Oxford
6 What political philosophy did Ngũgĩ explore while pursuing his advanced degree?
Fanonist Marxism

Individualist Anarchism

Libertarianism

Zionism
7 Why was Ngũgĩ arrested in 1976?
Ngũgĩ published a letter openly criticizing the Kenyan government

Ngũgĩ led an anti-government protest in Nairobi

Daniel Arap Moi was threatened by Ngũgĩ's political theater

Ngũgĩ refused to publish an amended, moderate version of his debut novel
8 Which term best characterizes Ngũgĩ's imprisonment in 1977?
Just

Inhumane

Minor

Beneficial
9 How did Ngũgĩ spend his imprisonment?
He wrote a scathing critique of the Kenyan justice system

He taught a college-level course to his fellow political prisoners and several guards

He interviewed his fellow political prisoners and wrote a memoir of their experiences during the Mau Mau Uprising

He wrote the novel "Caitaani mũtharaba-Inĩ" on prison-issue toilet paper
10 How did Ngũgĩ''s imprisonment permanently alter his writing?
He abandoned his political material, fearing future arrests

He abandoned fiction and rewrote Kenyan history in Gĩkũyũ

He decided to only write in Gĩkũyũ from then on

He chose to only write stories about the Mau Mau Uprising
11 How did Ngũgĩ''s life change after being released from prison?
His health failed and he abandoned his writing projects

He was given a position on the Kenyan Supreme Court

He was internationally celebrated for his work and made a fortune

He was forced to live in exile in Europe and America
12 What tragic event occurred during Ngũgĩ''s 2004 tour of Kenya?
His brothers were killed during an uprising

He was blacklisted and unable to leave the country

He and his wife were assaulted in their home

He was arrested a second time
13 What unique approach does Ngũgĩ' take towards translating his work?
He accepts work by translators who speak Gĩkũyũ as a second language

He only translates his work into endangered languages

He refuses to translate his works at all

He requires translators to work from the original Gĩkũyũ
14 Under what circumstances did Ngũgĩ write "Matigari"?
While exiled in London

On a plane returning to Kenya after decades abroad

While writer-in-residence at Oxford

During his imprisonment in Nairobi
15 Why did the Kenyan government initially seize all copies of "Matigari"?
People began discussing Matigari as if he was a real person

Trade agreements with the United Kingdom stipulated that no anti-colonialist works could be published in Kenya

Under Kenyan law, only books published in English could be sold in Nairobi

The novel directly criticized Daniel Arap Moi
16 Which two entities fought in the Mau Mau Rebellion?
The Kenyan Army and the Mau Mau Liberation Front

The Kenya Land and Freedom Army and the British military

The United States Marine Corp and the Kenyan Defense Forces

The King's African Rifles and the Royal Air Force
17 Which best describes the Mau Mau Rebellion?
Disorganized

Non-violent

Short-lived

Marked by war crimes
18 Where does the name "Mau Mau" come from?
An anagram of "Uma Uma," meaning "get out"

A dismissive colonial label for Gĩkũyũ people

An anagram of "Ma Umau," meaning "Our Grandfathers"

The origin is unclear
19 During which years was the Mau Mau rebellion fought?
1902-1913

1948-1950

2000-2008

1952-1960
20 Which colonial abuses primarily contributed to the Mau Mau Rebellion?
Harsh mistreatment of Kenyan farmers and employees

Forced identification of native Kenyans

Economic inequality caused by a settler economy

All of these
21 How did the Mau Mau Rebellion differ from previous anti-colonial uprisings?
It was the most organized

It was the only uprising

It was the longest

It caused the least bloodshed
22 Which tactics did the Mau Mau fighters employ against British colonists?
An "information war"

Political assassinations

Massacres

All of these
23 How did the British authorities attempt to quell the uprising?
By interning and torturing thousands of Kenyans

By halting civil rights for native Kenyans

By disseminating propaganda in Kenya and abroad

All of these
24 How was the Mau Mau Rebellion successful?
It directly caused the British decolonization of Africa

It led other global superpowers to ally with Kenya

It established Kenya as a first-world economy

It contributed to the decolonization of Kenya
25 How did Kenyans in the 21st century seek restorative justice?
The Kenyan government demands favorable trade agreements with the United Kingdom as restitution for colonialism

Thousands have sued the United Kingdom for compensation for war crimes

Oxford and Cambridge instituted scholarships for descendants of the Mau Mau fighters

The Kenyan government is seeking a permenant seat at the United Nations

As soon as Matigari learns that the freedom he fought for is still not obtained, he decides to stand up against the oppressors and start a revolution. In the beginning, he buries his weapons and puts on a belt of peace, indicating that he tries to...

Asked by Simon A #1301852

Answered by jill d #170087 on 4/19/2023 10:00 PM

View All Answers

Bitter Experience

Bitter experiences include living in poverty, being exploited (example: charged to pick garbage), and government oppression. For more detailed information, check out GradeSaver's theme page for the unit.

Asked by Simon A #1301852

Answered by jill d #170087 on 4/19/2023 9:59 PM

View All Answers

Examine the presentation of women in Ngugi Wa Thiogo's, Matigari.

In the novel, Matigari, women are presented as little more than objects. Women survive by trading their bodies for needs, and even those who don't have to trade find themselves the objects of government oppression and depraved sexual propositions....

Asked by Alina P #916813

Answered by jill d #170087 on 7/21/2019 9:17 PM

View All Answers

Matigari

by Ngugi wa Thiong'o

Matigari Quiz Historical Context and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o

Matigari Questions and Answers

Study Guide for Matigari

Essays for Matigari