Read the excerpt below from "Civil Peace" by Chinua Achebe and answer the question that follows. At first he went daily, then every other day and finally once a week, to the offices of the Coal Corporation where he used to be a miner, to find out what was what. The only thing he did find out in the end was that that little house of his was even a greater blessing than he had thought. Some of his fellow ex-miners who had nowhere to return at the end of the day's waiting just slept outside the doors of the offices and cooked what meal they could scrounge together in Bournvita tins. As the weeks lengthened and still nobody could say what was what Jonathan discontinued his weekly visits altogether and faced his palm wine bar. Why did Jonathan return to the offices of the Coal Corporation?
Why is Jonathan so happy that his family has "five heads" on their shoulders?
In Achebe's "Civil Peace," the character Jonathan mentions that one of his sons died during the Nigerian Civil War. What is the historical significance of this background?
What impact has the Nigerian Civil War had on Jonathan's point of view?
How does Achebe create a "new English" with his use of language in "Civil Peace"?
Read the selection below from "Civil Peace" by Chinua Achebe and answer the question that follows. Came the day of the windfall when after five days of endless scuffles in queues and counter-queues in the sun outside the Treasury he had twenty pounds counted into his palms as ex gratia award for the rebel money he had turned in. It was like Christmas for him and for many others like him when the payments began. They called it (since few could manage its proper official name) egg rasher. Which historical fact helps the reader understand the passage best?
Read the scenario below and answer the question that follows. Student B reads the following excerpt from "Civil Peace": "At first he went daily, then every other day and finally once a week, to the offices of the Coal Corporation where he used to be a miner, to find out what was what. The only thing he did find out in the end was that that little house of his was even a greater blessing than he had thought. Some of his fellow ex-miners who had nowhere to return at the end of the day's waiting just slept outside the doors of the offices and cooked what meal they could scrounge together in Bournvita tins. As the weeks lengthened and still nobody could say what was what Jonathan discontinued his weekly visits altogether and faced his palm wine bar." After reading the excerpt, Student B writes this: "Jonathan realizes that he is not going to get a job or any help from the Coal Corporation and must depend on his own devices to make money." Which type of evidence describes the support in this student's response best?
Why is Jonathan surprised that his house in Enugu is still intact?
Why is it important to keep in mind while reading "Civil Peace" that Nigeria is a postcolonial nation?
Did you find these answers helpful?