ELA 10 - Applying Critical Approaches to Literary Analysis (Pre-Test), ELA 10 - Applying Critical Approaches to Literary Analysis (Post-Test), ELA 10 - Comparing Poetry and Art (Pre-Test), ELA 10 - Comparing Poetry and Art (Post-Test), ELA 10

ELA 10 - Applying Critical Approaches to Literary Analysis (Pre-Test), ELA 10 - Applying Critical Approaches to Literary Analysis (Post-Test), ELA 10 - Comparing Poetry and Art (Pre-Test), ELA 10 - Comparing Poetry and Art (Post-Test), ELA 10 How does this passage define the role of the patriarchy in Nigerian rural society? Read the passage from "Marriage Is a Private Affair" by Chinua Achebe. It is a conversation between a woman named Nene and her fiancé, Nnaemeka. In this excerpt, Nnaemeka is the first to speak. "You have lived in Lagos all your life, and you know very little about people in remote parts of the country." "That's what you always say. But I don't believe anybody will be so unlike other people that they will be unhappy when their sons are engaged to marry." "Yes. They are most unhappy if the engagement is not arranged by them. In our case it's worse—you are not even an Ibo." This was said so seriously and so bluntly that Nene could not find speech immediately. In the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the city it had always seemed to her something of a joke that a person's tribe could determine whom he married. At last she said, "You don't really mean that he will object to your marrying me simply on that account? I had always thought you Ibos were kindly disposed to other people." "So we are. But when it comes to marriage, well, it's not quite so simple. And this," he added, "is not peculiar to the Ibos. If your father were alive and lived in the heart of Ibibio-land he would be exactly like my father." - ☑B. Fathers are used to having total authority over choosing their children's spouses. Which statement about this passage best explains that the village culture is patriarchal? Read the passage from "Marriage Is a Private Affair" by Chinua Achebe. "Have you written to your dad yet?" asked Nene one afternoon as she sat with Nnaemeka in her room at 16 Kasanga Street, Lagos. "No. I've been thinking about it. I think it's better to tell him when I get home on leave!" "But why? Your leave is such a long way off yet—six whole weeks. He should be let into our happiness now." Nnaemeka was silent for a while, and then began very slowly as if he groped for his words: "I wish I were sure it would be happiness to him." "Of course it must," replied Nene, a little surprised. "Why shouldn't it?" "You have lived in Lagos all your life, and you know very little about people in remote parts of the country." "That's what you always say. But I don't believe anybody will be so unlike other people that they will be unhappy when their sons are engaged to marry." "Yes. They are most unhappy if the engagement is not arranged by them. In our case it's worse—you are not even an Ibo." This was said so seriously and so bluntly that Nene could not find speech immediately. In the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the city it had always seemed to her something of a joke that a person's tribe could determine whom he married. - ☑C. Fathers in small villages arrange marriages for their children. Read the excerpt from "Marriage Is a Private Affair" by Chinua Achebe. Nnaemeka, for his own part, was very deeply affected by his father's grief. But he kept hoping that it would pass away. If it had occurred to him that never in the history of his people had a man married a woman who spoke a different tongue, he might have been less optimistic. "It has never been heard," was the verdict of an old man speaking a few weeks later. In that short sentence he spoke for all of his people. This man had come with others to commiserate with Okeke when news went round about his son's behaviour. By that time the son had gone back to Lagos. "It has never been heard," said the old man again with a sad shake of his head. "What did Our Lord say?" asked another gentleman. "Sons shall rise against their fathers; it is there in the Holy Book." "It is the beginning of the end," said another. What cultural value does this excerpt of the text best reveal? - ☑B. the mandate to marry within one's tribe Which statement best describes the similarities between the feminist and historical approaches to literary analysis - A. Both limit analysis to the words on the page rather than considering factors that influenced the author. B. Neither considers how social forces affect the literary work. C. Neither considers where and when the author lived or how those factors affected the literary work. D. Both consider how cultural and political forces affect the literary work. - ☑D. Both consider how cultural and political forces affect the literary work. Which idea from this passage can be analyzed from both feminist and historical perspectives? Read the passage from "Marriage Is a Private Affair" by Chinua Achebe. The first paragraph is a letter that Okeke sends to his son Nnaemeka. I have found a girl who will suit you admirably—Ugoye Nweke, the eldest daughter of our neighbour, Jacob Nweke. She has a proper Christian upbringing. When she stopped schooling some years ago, her father (a man of sound judgment) sent her to live in the house of a pastor where she has received all the training a wife could need. Her Sunday School teacher has told me that she reads her Bible very fluently. I hope we shall begin negotiations when you come home in December. On the second evening of his return from Lagos Nnaemeka sat with his father under a cassia tree. This was the old man's retreat where he went to read his Bible when the parching December sun had set and a fresh, reviving wind blew on the leaves. - A. how a woman could be considered "proper" in this culture during this period B. how fathers and sons interact in this culture during this period C. how children return to their hometowns to negotiate marriages during this period D. how weather conditions affect this culture during this period - ☑A. how a woman could be considered "proper" in this culture during this period What would most likely be discussed in a feminist criticism of Chinua Achebe's work? - A. his life story and literary achievements B. his portrayal of gender roles C. his descriptions of the Nigerian landscape D. his literary influences and preferences - ☑B. his portrayal of gender roles Which questions may be applied to literary analysis from a feminist approach? Select three options. - A. How is the relationship between men and women portrayed? B. Does the literature depict patriarchy uncritically or challenge it? C. How could men be excluded from this literary work? D. Do characterizations reflect a traditional social hierarchy? E. Does the literature help prove that women are better than men? F. Does the literature explain why the status quo is appropriate? - ☑A. How is the relationship between men and women portrayed? -and- B. Does the literature depict patriarchy uncritically or challenge it? -and- D. Do characterizations reflect a traditional social hierarchy? Which statement about historical context is most relevant to the passage? Read the passage from "Marriage Is a Private Affair" by Chinua Achebe. In this conversation, Nnaemeka speaks first, and Nene speaks second. "You have lived in Lagos all your life, and you know very little about people in remote parts of the country." "That's what you always say. But I don't believe anybody will be so unlike other people that they will be unhappy when their sons are engaged to marry." "Yes. They are most unhappy if the engagement is not arranged by them. In our case it's worse—you are not even an Ibo." This was said so seriously and so bluntly that Nene could not find speech immediately. In the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the city it had always seemed to her something of a joke that a person's tribe could determine whom he married. At last she said, "You don't really mean that he will object to your marrying me simply on that account? I had always thought you Ibos were kindly disposed to other people." "So we are. But when it comes to marriage, well, it's not quite so simple. And this," he added, "is not peculiar to the Ibos. If your father were alive and lived in the heart of Ibibio-land he would be exactly like my father." - A. People in large cities and rural villages had different opinions of members of the Ibo tribe. B. Ibos and non-Ibos had different opinions of how people should choose marriage partners. C. People in large cities and rural villages had different opinions of how people should choose marriage partners. D. Ibos and non-Ibos disagreed about whether it was appropriate for young men to live in large cities. - ☑C. People in large cities and rural villages had different opinions of how people should choose marriage partners. Which questions may be applied to a literary analysis from a historical approach? Select two options. - A. How will this story influence future writers? B. When and where does the story take place? C. How are critics' reactions to this story likely to change over time? D. Who was the intended audience at the time of publication? E. What social, political, and cultural forces prevailed when the text was written? - ☑D. Who was the intended audience at the time of publication? -and- E. What social, political, and cultural forces prevailed when the text was written?