Matigari Quizzes

Matigari Quiz Historical Context and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o

By Liv DeSimone · Edited by James Cooper · Last reviewed July 30, 2023

1 Why did Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o change his name?

To honor his grandfather's memory

To celebrate his Gĩkũyũ heritage and resist the legacy of colonialism

James Ngugi is the name of a different, prominent Kenyan author

His birth name was too difficult for Western audiences to pronounce and remember
2 Why did Ngũgĩ choose to write in Gĩkũyũ instead of English?

To hide his anti-colonialist messages from the British government

He does not speak English

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?

Firing all European and American staff

The banning of religious missionaries from campus

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

He involved audiences directly in his theater

The actors performed in the local language

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

World War II

The Mau Mau uprising

His mother's death

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

Individualist Anarchism

Fanonist Marxism

Libertarianism

Zionism
7 Why was Ngũgĩ arrested in 1976?

Ngũgĩ published a letter openly criticizing the Kenyan government

Daniel Arap Moi was threatened by Ngũgĩ's political theater

Ngũgĩ refused to publish an amended, moderate version of his debut novel

Ngũgĩ led an anti-government protest in Nairobi
8 Which term best characterizes Ngũgĩ's imprisonment in 1977?

Just

Beneficial

Inhumane

Minor
9 How did Ngũgĩ spend his imprisonment?

He wrote the novel "Caitaani mũtharaba-Inĩ" on prison-issue toilet paper

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
10 How did Ngũgĩ''s imprisonment permanently alter his writing?

He decided to only write in Gĩkũyũ from then on

He abandoned his political material, fearing future arrests

He abandoned fiction and rewrote Kenyan history in Gĩkũyũ

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 forced to live in exile in Europe and America

He was internationally celebrated for his work and made a fortune
12 What tragic event occurred during Ngũgĩ''s 2004 tour of Kenya?

He was arrested a second time

He was blacklisted and unable to leave the country

His brothers were killed during an uprising

He and his wife were assaulted in their home
13 What unique approach does Ngũgĩ' take towards translating his work?

He requires translators to work from the original Gĩkũyũ

He refuses to translate his works at all

He only translates his work into endangered languages

He accepts work by translators who speak Gĩkũyũ as a second language
14 Under what circumstances did Ngũgĩ write "Matigari"?

During his imprisonment in Nairobi

While exiled in London

On a plane returning to Kenya after decades abroad

While writer-in-residence at Oxford
15 Why did the Kenyan government initially seize all copies of "Matigari"?

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

People began discussing Matigari as if he was a real person

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 King's African Rifles and the Royal Air Force

The United States Marine Corp and the Kenyan Defense Forces

The Kenya Land and Freedom Army and the British military

The Kenyan Army and the Mau Mau Liberation Front
17 Which best describes the Mau Mau Rebellion?

Non-violent

Short-lived

Disorganized

Marked by war crimes
18 Where does the name "Mau Mau" come from?

An anagram of "Uma Uma," meaning "get out"

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

The origin is unclear

A dismissive colonial label for Gĩkũyũ people
19 During which years was the Mau Mau rebellion fought?

1902-1913

2000-2008

1948-1950

1952-1960
20 Which colonial abuses primarily contributed to the Mau Mau Rebellion?

Harsh mistreatment of Kenyan farmers and employees

Economic inequality caused by a settler economy

Forced identification of native Kenyans

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

It caused the least bloodshed

It was the only uprising

It was the most organized

It was the longest
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 disseminating propaganda in Kenya and abroad

By halting civil rights for native Kenyans

All of these
24 How was the Mau Mau Rebellion successful?

It led other global superpowers to ally with Kenya

It established Kenya as a first-world economy

It contributed to the decolonization of Kenya

It directly caused the British decolonization of Africa
25 How did Kenyans in the 21st century seek restorative justice?

Thousands have sued the United Kingdom for compensation for war crimes

The Kenyan government demands favorable trade agreements with the United Kingdom as restitution for colonialism

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

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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

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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

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